(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sandra Bullock entered the industry in the late 1980s, making her debut in the thriller Hangmen. Within a few years, she became a major Hollywood star, breaking through with a leading role in the action thriller Speed alongside Keanu Reeves, a performance that would win her various awards. From then on, Bullock could be seen in many popular movies, becoming one of the most recognisable and bankable actors in America.
From romantic comedies like While You Were Sleeping and Two If By The Sea to the legal drama A Time to Kill and the fantasy film Practical Magic, Bullock’s career for the rest of the 1990s was rather varied, proving her versatility. It seems as though the actor has always been reluctant to box herself into a certain genre, moving seamlessly between intense, action-packed thrillers and lighthearted comedies.
The actor, who went on to win an Oscar for The Blind Side in 2010, blended her interest in action, comedy, and romance with the 2000 film Miss Congeniality, which saw her play an FBI Agent forced to go undercover and participate in a beauty pageant that has been targeted by terrorists. Appearing alongside Michael Caine, William Shatner, Benjamin Bratt, and Candice Bergen, Bullock’s portrayal of Gracie Hart was praised, with the movie grossing $212.7million.
While critics weren’t hugely impressed by the film, it remains a 2000s classic, emerging at a time when rom-coms were all the rage. It even earned Bullock a ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical’ nomination from the Golden Globes, asserting her natural ability for roles that balanced humour and action.
Due to the movie’s success, a sequel was made in 2005 called Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, with various actors joining the cast, including Treat Williams and Regina King. The movie follows Gracie as she becomes the new face of the FBI and ends up investigating the kidnappings of the pageant host and winner. She develops a friendship with another agent played by King, but sadly, critics found the movie less than impressive. The fact that a sequel was never initially planned is obvious, with the movie only existing as a way to further profit off the original.
Bullock opened up about the film to Metro, revealing that “Two shouldn’t have been done, but I’m glad that it did because of Regina, who I just freaking adore. That one should have remained a one-off.” It’s clear that Bullock regrets making the sequel, which was a critical flop – even if it did gross over $100million. Female buddy action movies aren’t nearly as common as ones featuring male characters, so it was certainly refreshing in that respect to have Bullock and King leading the film. Still, that wasn’t enough for it to succeed.
Film critic Roger Ebert gave it just one-and-a-half stars, writing rather honestly, “There is no good reason to go and actually see it.” Evidently, the film had the potential to earn success, but its screenplay fell flat.
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