Miss Congeniality,starringSandra Bullock, Michael Caine, and Benjamin Bratt, remains one of Bullock’s best performances. As Gracie Hart, Bullock is an FBI agent transformed into a beauty pageant contestant — despite her abhorrence of the events. The tomboy-turned-knockout competes at the Miss United States Pageant to investigate threats and violence against her fellow contestants, with pratfalls and gaffs at every turn.
The success ofMiss Congenialityresulted in a sequel in 2005. Released five years after the original,Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous,united Bullock withRegina Hall in a female buddy comedy. Gracie Hart, too high-profile to be an effective FBI agent, becomes the face of the Bureau with Agent Sam Fuller (Hall) as her partner.
The firstMiss Congenialityearned Bullock a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, was a huge box office success, and was fairly well received by critics. The sequel was far less successful and, for Bullock, was a mistake to make — so much so that it effectively ended the franchise and any chance forMiss Congeniality 3.
Miss Congeniality
Sandra Bullock Admitted How She Felt About ‘Miss Congeniality 2’
Sandra Bullock’s early career included standout appearances inSpeed(1994),While You Were Sleeping(1995), andPractical Magic(1998). By 2000, Bullock had perfected blending romantic comedy and action in one movie, something highlighted inMiss Congeniality.Thesuccess ofMiss Congenialityat the box office — it earned more than $212 million worldwide— all but guaranteed a sequel was coming down the pike.
However,Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulouswas released in 2005, at which time Bullock addressed returning to the role of Gracie Hart:
“There was never any pressure to make a sequel so we never considered it, even after we’d finished the first film. But about a year later, [writer] Marc Lawrence and I found ourselves joking about what would have happened had an FBI agent really done what Gracie did and thwarted a bomb threat and saved Miss United States in front of the cameras. With the media being what it is, she would’ve been on every talk show. So it was that premise that we expanded on, and it just became something we found ourselves talking about.”
20 years later,Bullock had another opinionofrevisiting the world ofMiss Congeniality:
“God no, no. No.[Miss Congeniality] 2shouldn’t have been done.”
One Good Thing Came of Making ‘Miss Congeniality 2’ for Bullock
There wasone positive to come out of makingMiss Congeniality 2, however. It wasn’t straddling Dolly Parton, unfortunately, but according to Sandra Bullock,
“But I’m glad that it did, because it was with Regina [Hall], who just, I freakin' adore.”
In a comment that may represent a bit of hope for fans of Gracie Hart,Bullock didn’t entirely count out seeing more of the character on the big screen. Granted, the idea would not likely feature Bullock in the role because it would focus on the origins of the character:
“Unless they make a prequel with a young Gracie Hart… I think Gracie Hart is in her 10, 11-year-old life, still acting very much the same as Gracie Hart as an adult.”
Whether or not this means aMiss Congenialitytrilogy is actually on the tableremains unclear.
Best Sandra Bullock Movies, Ranked
With over 50 film credits to her name, Sandra Bullock has starred in a number of blockbuster favorites and cult hits.
‘Miss Congeniality 2’ Isn’t the Only Sequel Sandra Bullock Regrets Making
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulousearned just over $101 million worldwide at the box office,making it less than half of its predecessor.Reviews forMiss Congeniality 2were not kind, withRoger Ebert calling it, “unnecessary in the sense that there is no good reason to go and actually see it.“Ebert did admitthat he was one of the few critics who liked another one of Bullock’s sequels, 1997’sSpeed 2, but the dismal reception of that movie was not lost on Bullock herself.
Despite claimingshe’d learned from her previous sequel in 2005, Sandra Bullock did makeMiss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous.The actress was asked ifSpeed 2’s lack of successgave her any trepidationwhen it came to makingMiss Congeniality 2:
“I learned from that film that, unless it’s on the page, there’s no point in doing it. So we said if this film could stand on its own, as if the first one hadn’t been made, then it was something that would be exciting to do. And I had enough distance, I had done a few other things in between so I wasn’t tired of Gracie, I got to rejoin her and appreciate how great a character she was. Regardless of whether she’s male or female this was a great comedic character that Marc had written.”
Practical Magic: Looking Back at 1998’s Witchy Romance Movie
Practical Magic is a romance with dark comedy and magic. Let’s take a look back at the movie.
Miss Congeniality 2did finally lead toa decision from Bullock:
“I had a ‘no sequel’ rule when I didn’t have the benefit of fighting for what I really wanted. I feel like, in my old age, I’m learning to fight for the things that I think would be best on screen — and I don’t care who comes away from the meeting angry.”
She seems to have eased up on that, however, withPractical Magic 2rumored to be in the works…
