← Back to results
Drop Dead Gorgeous
1999 98 min United States of America PG-13 18+
★5.9
Comedy
Director: Michael Patrick Jann
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
Description
In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys Leeman wants to make sure her daughter follows in her footsteps; explosions, falling lights, and trailer fires prove that. As the Leemans are the richest family in town, the police are pretty relaxed about it all. Despite everything, main rival (but sweet) Amber Atkins won't give up without a fight.
Budget:
$10M
US Gross:
$10.57M
Worldwide:
$10.57M
Starring
Kirsten Dunst
Actor
Denise Richards
Actor
Ellen Barkin
Actor
Awards
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 1999
— FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 1999
— Crystal Globe
Key opinion
Drop Dead Gorgeous is a polarizing black-comedy mockumentary that uses the beauty pageant world to satirize fame-seeking and small-town provincialism. While some viewers admire its daring, grotesque humor and strong ensemble cast, others are unsettled by its dark, often brutal shift in tone.
| Acting | The stacked ensemble cast, including Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, and Brittany Murphy, delivers compelling performances that elevate the material. | |
| Originality | The mockumentary format, framed as a documentary about a beauty pageant, provides an original and effective lens for the film's satire. | |
| Theme | The film functions as a sharp, relevant critique of the ruthless, win-at-all-costs culture surrounding beauty pageants and parent-driven ambition. | |
| Humor | The tone is deeply divisive; some find the blend of dark humor and murder satisfyingly grotesque, while others find the shift from satire to unsettling tragedy jarring and unpleasant. |