Customer Reviews

Beautiful (Bilingual)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Beautiful, adj. 1. Having beauty; delighting the senses and mind. 5. The ideal of beauty.

So says Webster, and given that, Mona Hibbard of Naperville, Illinois does not embody that quality on the inside. Mona has had a drive to be beautiful and from her pre-teen years, has worked hard, getting her teeth straightened, going to a grace school, and befriending Ruby, who has learned to sew from her grandmother. From watching beauty pageants on TV, she herself enters a beauty pageant and wins for best costume. The trouble is, her parents are far from supportive, and she herself shuts them out of her life. Her mother keeps saying she's getting aggravated from her behaviour, and even when Mona gets a consolation medal reading "participant," she merely says that she didn't get anything. On the other hand, the egocentric Mona's no angel either. She has a room with posters full of beauty pageant memorabilia, and a sign on the door reading "knock first" When her mother asks her if she wants some pizza, Mona refuses to answer because her mother didn't knock first.

Years later, Ruby and Mona are firm friends. Ruby and her grandmother still help make costumes for Mona, who still has the same dream, and will do anything to get it. In one scene smacking of black humour and slapstick, she sabotages a rival's equipment when that girl steals Mona's routine and is lucky enough to go first. This has grave ramifications later on, which I won't reveal. However, when Mona discovers she's pregnant, it's bad news, because women who are mothers or legal guardians are disqualified from entering the Miss American Miss competition. But she's so desperate to prove herself beautiful, she has Ruby pose as the mother of her child, a girl named Vanessa, while she becomes her own child's aunt. This helps her win Miss Illinois, which makes her a contestant for Miss America Miss pageant. In the meantime, there are the expected public appearances to promote her.

However, fate plays a cruel trick on Ruby, leaving Vanessa in Mona's care, something neither is chuffed about. Mona sees her own daughter as A) an inconvenience, and B) someone to take photos of her to mold her image as a caring, heroic, role model. But what makes a real role model? Mona's "campaign slogan" is "empowering America's youth for a brighter America." A pity she doesn't embody that ideal toward her own soccer-loving seven year old daughter.

In Mallrats Joey Lauren Adams played the smarter advice-giving girlfriend to Claire Forlani. As Ruby, Adams is the hard-working, grounded, patient friend who works hard to help Mona reach her goal even to the extent of being the mother to Vanessa, and treating her like a real mother would, making this her best role since Chasing Amy. Hallie Kate Eisenberg (Vanessa) is quite the delight here as the very insightful girl who ends up being more mature and abler than her birth mother. Indeed, when she asks Mona how come she looks so much like her, it's more than just physical appearance, but more on personality. One only has to look at the way Mona's own mother treated her to see how Mona treats Vanessa, with lack of sympathy, support, and as somewhat of an inconvenience. Her other question to Mona, "where do I belong?" is something that Mona herself is struggling with, to belong somewhere. Adams and Eisenberg really make this movie worth it.

Actress Sally Fields' feature film directorial debut was much panned by critics, and perhaps it's Minnie Driver's character, who isn't that likeable until the final twenty minutes or so of the movie. All the same, one is aggravated by her egotistical self-centered behaviour, while at the same time wanting her to not only grow up, as Ruby tells her in a moment of exasperation, but to be, in the words of Webster, to become beautiful.

I have faithfully watched Ms. America since I was knee high to a grasshopper, in hopes that one day I could wear the crown. (Maybe, just maybe.) But Beautiful, though written in fiction, is very cold. It makes beauty contestants look like airheads, and people who are totally self centered. Maybe some winners out there are like that. But all in all, Beautiful makes pageants look bad. Minnie Driver plays a lady who has wanted to win Ms. America since she was little, and will do anything to get the tiara. She even would lie about having a her illegitamite baby, just so she could win. The movie ends rather predictably. I enjoyed the movie, because it was so, well, darkly funny, and of course, involved pageants. And yes, it tries to tie some family values in at the end. I'm starting to ramble, I better stop. To put it plainly: Watch it. Laugh a little. Just don't come yelling at me when you get sick to your stomach.

I thought this movie was adorable! I loved the way it started out with Minnie Driver's character as a child- the endless amount of energy (and make-up and money!) the little girl put into her pageant efforts was hilarious!

The "Miss America Miss" pageant contestants were classic- it makes you realize just how ridiculous those things are!

Yes, it was cheesy and overly dramatic, definitely unrealistic, but it was clearly intended to be this way. This satire was also very sweet with the very young Hallie Kate stealing the show!

This movie is funny, charming, and at times just plain cheesey - the perfect movie for a girls' night out! I think the funniest part of the movie was when little Mona couldn't eat an orange because she was on a diet.. A good movie overall, worth buying as long as it's a good price!!

Title: Beautiful
Rating: PG13

Imagine you worked all your life for something, such as a career. But when you get there you think you've failed but you really haven't . well that is what this story is about. A young women named Mona that worked all her life toward being Miss American Miss, but she had a child and she thought her career was over.
I think this story has a good plot. Because it deals with a lot of courage and inspires others not to give up on their dreams. there are three main characters in this story. Which are ,Mona which is the main character, Vanessa, Mona's little girl, and Mona's best friend, Ruby.
This story is mostly about a young women who didn't give up on her dream. Even though they looked helpless. And she depended on her best friend to help her accomplish her dream. Mona's parents were not supportive of anything Mona did. so Ruby came into the picture sort of like a mercy angle. Ruby helped Mona almost the whole way through. But it came to the point where Mona had to do it on her own. Will Mona win the pageant alone? The directors chose on the backgrounds and the outfits was excellent! Anyway I think this movie is the best movie ever made! And I highly recommend it to anyone who has a dream. And I think only middle school and up should be aloud to watch this film. Because of the rating which isPG.13.Mostly because of language.
I will end My review with a question for you to think about. If you where just about to catch your dream but it would hurt someone to make it happen, what would you do?

I expected a lot more out of this film than it delivered but I kept watching for only one reason - Haley Eisenberg who displayed far more poise and talent in this one than Minnie Driver - and usually I'm a fan of Ms. Driver. But not this time.
Maybe it was the weak, overly sentimental script. Maybe it was the plodding, often dull, story. Nothing wrong with the basic plot - beauty contestant hides the fact that she is also a mother - but unfortunately, the whole film needed a dose of originality and lively dialogue. Even some real humor would have been appreciated.
Minnie Driver is grating in this film, alternately selfish, manipulative and teary-eyed. Give me a break, please. I will admit, however, that I enjoyed watching young Ms. Eisenburg give her a hard time, mainly because Driver's character was asking for it.
Bottom line on this one - pure sentimental junk, not bad enough to be kitschy and not good enough to be worth your time. I don't blame the actors. They've showed their talent in other films. Unfortunately, they weren't given a script worth their talents this time around.

Well, this is very slow at the beginning, I really like Minnie Driver so that helps. There is a strange feeling throughout the movie, also because You think how she can act as sthough the little girl is not her daughter. BUt, without giving it away, the finale is truly great, I loved it so much, you could expect two finales, but the actual one you'll never guess. It was such a great experience. BUt over all it amounts to 4 stars because the rest is what it is.

for one, this movie didn't win any oscars because it was a good movie.. i mean, jeez, moulin rouge and brigette jones diary are nominated for god's sake, and both those abosultly stunk... but this one is a good dramatic comedy..its just a fun to watch feel good movie with no harsh language, no gorey scenes.. safe to watch with any child or adult that might get offended by other movies but can still remain entertained by this one..plus its got Minnie Driver in it, which is a major plus for eye candy.. but seriously, i recommend for anyone to spend the time and watch it..

Hi, ... I can watch and enjoy this movie with my mom or my grandma. Every time I put it on my mom is willing to watch it with me and she has tears in her eyes every time. If you like good chick flicks, this one is for you! Even my brother and my dad liked this movie.

Comparison is inevitable. We had a biting satire of "Drop Dead Gorgeous." We had lovely Sandra in "Miss Congeniality." And we have Sally Field's director debut film starring Minnie Driver and Hallie Kate Eisenberg. You think the chances are it ends up with an enjoyable film. The result turns out to be ... No, it didn't.

The story's basic premise -- a mother who hides the fact that she has a daughter, fearing to have her entry into "Miss America Miss" beauty contest disqualified -- clearly comes from famous Vanessa L. William's case, in which she had to resign her crown because of her previous photos taken before her becoming Miss America. (See the daughter of Minnie Driver character is called "Vanessa," and once Ms. Williams's name is briefly mentioned in the film.) The writer expanded the idea, I imagine, and made a heroine of the film, who, in order to get the crown of the beauty pageant, denies her motherly emotions to her own daughter, giving the daughter to her best friend's hand, and pretending that she (her friend) is the real mother. Oh, no, please.

Moreover, the protagonist, with which we are supposed to sympathize, desperately chases the crown. Real desperate. For all Minnie Driver's charming smile and comic talent, and Joey Lauren Adams's good-natured portrayal of her friend, the film cannot be saved from being totally pathetic. Yes, I say frankly, I really disliked her. I am ready to cheer Ms. Williams, but as for the heroine of "Beautiful," I never felt like that. And though Ms. Eisenburg is certainly cute, and was good in films like "Paulie," here, it seems, she is only allowed to irritate us by yelling, running, jumping and kicking a ball.

All these problems come from the director. I don't want to be harsh, but it is true. We have these able cast, plus Kathleen Turner, Brdgitte L. Wilson, and even Ali Landry (real-life Miss America, but Amerians may remember Doritos Chips), but the film is often unpleasant, and doesn't seem to know what it wants to do. There are some funny scenes, but the film cannot fully use those good moments to carry on the potential power long, and the conclusion is too predictable. We know from the beginning that they should not exclude her from the contest on the ground that she has a child -- you know, it is 21th century. But the film's ending treats us as if we don't know that, to make the film very patronizing.

Maybe I should shut my mouth, and enjoy Minnie Driver's hectic journey to the crown. But I could not. The best moment of the film comes when Minnie Driver greatly surprises us by singing "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" on stage with splendid voice. That scene truely shines, but the film is then almost over.