Drop Dead Gorgeous
When you look at the Nineties or Naughties, or well, any era really, you wouldn’t find it hard to find a teenage movie. Everywhere you turn, you’ll see pretty cheerleaders, misunderstood losers, jocks and more. From Bring It On to Clueless, you just can’t get away from gorgeous girls wanting to better their lives in one way (and I don’t mean a new lipstick.) We all love them, whether we want to or not,( https://cookienscreenuk.webnode.com/news/teen-movie-edition/.) And then in comes Drop Dead Gorgeous, a dark comedy that has a little more substance than most.
But you wouldn’t have guessed. If I turned around to you (exactly how I am doing now) and said, “hey, here is a movie starring Kirsten Dunst as a hopeful in a Southern State Beauty Pagaent…” you’d run screaming before I’ve told you all about world peace. But world peace, this film ain’t. In fact, in this hilarious mockumentary, the contestants of fictional Sarah Rose Cosmetics Mount Rose American Teen Princess (say that ten times fast….) start dropping off like the weight before them. See, someone wants to win….badly.
Before I go on, some of you may be wondering why I have placed this here in the cult section and not in the guilty pleasure. After all with a dismal rating of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, 28% on Metacritc and famed critic Rogert Ebert, it hasn’t got exactly a high rating with anyone. Nevertheless, it is my belief that Drop Dead Gorgeous has kick, comedy and genius that gives it enough juice to raise it above say She’s All That and company.
Drop Dead Gorgeous is an extremely funny film. The escalading events of “accidental” murders is timed hilariously with film crew and more. Whether it’s a performer turned deaf (much to her delight) or a float going “kaboom”, the timing and escalation of deaths is brilliant. As well as the brutal killings (as you wish,) the script, though many have said suffered, is great. The best scene is the obligatory question scene to all the contestants including “if you were a tree standing in a forest, which tree would you be? (I’d be the lark…..)” Amber (Dunst) are main protagonist clearly gets a raw deal by having to name, in alphabetical order the 50 states of America and Dunst acts this extremely well.
There are a bound of clichés in Drop Dead Gorgeous; there’s the favourite Rebecca Ann Leman (Denise Richards) her over pushy mum who was a winner herself (Kirstie Allen,) the dumb one (Amy Adams) and Amber of course the over intellectual one who just wants to leave her small town and trailer park. But the acting is so well that these outrageous characters become almost real. The mockumentary works really well within this and scenes such as Amber’s mum having her beer can soldered on to her hand permanently (and a pack of peas to cool her privates) are strangely realistic.
Ok, so Drop Dead Gorgeous isn’t going to be winning any awards and you aren’t going to have many turning around and saying they have seen it. Drop Dead Gorgeous is a hidden gem though and you’ll be rolling with laughter about 5 minutes in.
That’s if you haven’t been popped off by then.
TTFN
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