Smile
 | Directed by Michael Ritchie Starring: Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon, Michael Kidd, Geoffrey Lewis, Nicholas Pryor MGM (Video & DVD), 1975, DVD Customer Rating: 25 reviews Recommend |
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Get ready for a hilarious (Variety) look at one of America's most beloved institutions: the beauty pageant! OscarÂ(r) nominees* Bruce Dern and Melanie Griffith wind their way throughpageant hell in this twisted exposition of Americana that deserves a high place among successful film spoofs (Cue)! The bleached-blonde town of Santa Rosa, California, is very excited aboutits annual Young American Miss Pageant. Chief judge Big Bob Freelander (Dern) promises his town a good contest. But the battling bombshells are growing ruthless in their quest for the crown! Can Big Bob make sure that his bevy of Beauties remains civil so that audiences don't discover what really lies behind those smiles?! *Dern: Supporting Actor, Coming Home (1978); Griffith: Actress, Working Girl (1988)
A small-town beauty pageant, and the turmoil it causes in the lives of its participants and sponsors, is the focus of this dark and witty cult comedy from Michael Ritchie (The Bad News Bears, Fletch). Bruce Dern shines in a rare comic lead as the chief judge of the "Young American Miss" contest, and his ability to find humor and pathos in his sad-sack character is well-matched by Barbara Feldon as a glacial former contestant, Geoffrey Lewis as a densely heartless sponsor, and famed choreographer Michael Kidd as (what else) the disillusioned pageant choreographer. Ritchie and writer Jerry Belson split the film's focus between the contestants (among them Annette O'Toole, Melanie Griffith, and Colleen Camp) and the sponsors and judges, and if the plot takes an absurd turn at the climax, Smile is ultimately a rare satire that cares for its characters while skewering their foibles. — Paul Gaita
Title: Smile
Sales Rank: 28889 in DVD
Actor: Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon, Michael Kidd, Geoffrey Lewis, Nicholas Pryor
Director: Michael Ritchie
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD), 2004-08-24, Theatrical Release: 1975
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Acpect Ratio 1.85:1
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region Code: 1
Running Time: 113 minutes
Item Dimensions: 1 pounds
Package Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches, 0.18 pounds
- Amusing film - Wanting Transfer
- There are quite good transfers in the MGM library. And some non-anamorphic transfers are quite excellent (viz. The Vanishing in the Criterion Collection.) Smile is an example of neither. It is non-anamorphic and the transfer lacks detail and grain, so when I enlarge the frame things get intolerably soft. I think the softness is probably present in the source print, but I saw… More reviews
- A masterpiece
- This movie is a masterpiece. It does not drag at any time. From the very moment the film begins, it is interesting. I love movies with lots of dialogue. Many times I chuckled, especially at the bad acts of the contestants (for example, the girl singing "Delta Dawn"). The movie does not make you feel good, but it does not leave you… More reviews
- classic movie
- I am so glad to add this movie to my tape collection. It is so clever. The lines and acting are great. It is a treat to see actors I know when they were young prove why they are still appreciated. Bravo. More reviews
- Fore- runner
- Yes this sparked Miss Congeniality but it is a show that stood on it's own a long time. Theres few surprises here as the pageant overflows the small town & the pageant managers are full of themselves. A boy sneaks looks at the contestants breasts as they change.(I've always been amazed that women with small breasts have no poise or talent that would… More reviews
- Very Funny Satire From The 1970's
- I have to admit when I selected this movie I thought I would be watching a made for TV movie I enjoyed as a kid about a beauty pageant that starred Farrah Fawcett and Eleanor Parker. When the cast of characters at the beginning of SMILE did not list either actress I did a little internet research and found that the film I was thinking of was 1973's THE… More reviews
