Drop Dead Gorgeous is an American film released in 1999. The film is considered a Black comedy. Even though it was not initially a hit with audiences or critics it is now revered as a Cult classic. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Drop dead. ... Image File history File links Drop_Dead_Gorgeous. ... Michael Patrick Jann was an actor for MTVs The State and directed the film Drop Dead Gorgeous and is currently the main director of Reno 911!. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kirstie Louise Alley (born January 12, 1951 in Wichita, Kansas) is an American actress best known for her role in the TV show Cheers. ... Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated American actress. ... Kirsten[1] Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress, known for her roles in Interview with the Vampire (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Bring It On, as well as for her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the... Denise Lee Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... Mark Mothersbaugh (born May 18, 1950, in Akron, Ohio) is an American musician, composer, singer, and painter. ... New Line Cinema, founded in 1967, is one of the major American film studios. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 1999 in film involved some significant events. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Black comedy and List of black comedies, accessible from a disambiguation page. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

It stars Denise Richards and Kirsten Dunst as contestants in a beauty pageant called the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Mount Rose American Teen Princess Pageant, held in the small town of Mount Rose, Minnesota. The film is a fictitious documentary covering the pageant. Denise Lee Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... Kirsten[1] Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress, known for her roles in Interview with the Vampire (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Bring It On, as well as for her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the... A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is a competition between people, based largely, though not always entirely, on the beauty of their physical appearance. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

The motion picture was directed by Michael Patrick Jann and produced by Judy Hofflund and Gavin Pollone. Michael Patrick Jann was an actor for MTVs The State and directed the film Drop Dead Gorgeous and is currently the main director of Reno 911!. ...

Tagline

• The battle between the good and the bad is about to get ugly.

Plot

Many Mount Rose girls compete in the pageant simply to have something to do. Other contestants, like Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst) want to win the scholarship money so they can leave Mount Rose - in Amber's case, so she can become more like her idol, Diane Sawyer. Rebecca Leeman (Denise Richards) is the daughter of the richest man in town, and her mother Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley) - the head of the pageant organising committee - is a former winner herself. Various business connections between the Leeman Furniture Store and the judges of the pageant (one is an employee) prompt many whispers around town that the contest will be fixed. Kirsten[1] Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress, known for her roles in Interview with the Vampire (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Bring It On, as well as for her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the... Diane Sawyer is a television journalist for the U.S. network ABC News and co-anchor of ABCs Good Morning America, along with with Robin Roberts. ... Denise Lee Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... Kirstie Louise Alley (born January 12, 1951 in Wichita, Kansas) is an American actress best known for her role in the TV show Cheers. ...

Many odd things start happening to people in the run up to the pageant; one of the contestants, Tammy Curry, is blown up while riding a tractor. Brett Clemmens (Casey Garven), Rebbeca's love interest (who is more interested in Amber), is shot dead in a "hunting accident." Fearing for her life, Amber decides to pull out of the pageant after her mother Annette (Ellen Barkin), is injured during an explosion at their trailer. After a pep-talk with family friend Loretta (Allison Janney), and a heart-to-heart with her mother, Amber reconsiders. At the dress rehearsal a fellow contestant Jenelle Betz (originally contestant number 8), swaps positions with Amber (originally contestant number 1). When Jenelle walks on stage at the beginning of rehearsal to perform her talent piece, a spotlight falls and hits her in the head, knocking her unconscious. Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated American actress. ... Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an Emmy-winning American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of C. J. Cregg on the American television series The West Wing and of Prudy on the 2007 film adaption of the musical Hairspray . ...

At the pageant (despite her tap costume going missing) Amber performs her tap-dance number to a standing ovation, while Rebecca Leeman sings (appallingly badly) and dances with a Jesus doll on a rolling crucifix. Still, Amber comes second to Rebecca Leeman. At the victory parade the next day, Rebecca Leeman rides in an elaborate swan float, designed by her mother and constructed by her father's Mexican workers.

Unfortunately, after Gladys Leeman lights the fireworks at the base of the swan, the entire float catches fire, consuming Rebecca in the flames. In her grief and standing by the burnt-out float, Gladys admits to killing Tammy Curry and, it is assumed, causing the other deaths and injuries in the run-up to the pageant.

At Rebecca's funeral, Amber is crowned Mount Rose's American Teen Princess, and goes on to the state competition. At the State Competition, Amber wins the Minnesota American Teen Princess title by default after all the other contestants fall ill with seafood-related food poisoning. (Amber hadn't eaten any because her mother always said "Don't ever eat nothin' that can carry its house around with it. Who knows the last time it's been cleaned.") As winner, Amber gets an all-expenses-paid trip to Lincoln, Alabama, where the national American Teen Princess Pageant is held. Upon arrival, Amber and the other contestants find that the company has been shut down by the IRS, and the distraught girls (except Amber) wreck the forecourt of the shuttered Sarah Rose Cosmetics building, hurling suitcases. Amber simply sighs and gets back onto the girls' chartered bus. Foodborne illness or food poisoning is caused by consuming food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, toxins, viruses, prions or parasites. ... Lincoln is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. ...

At the end of the film, Gladys Leeman escapes from prison and takes a sniper position on top of a local business. A television reporter doing a live remote at the scene is shot, and Amber Atkins quickly picks up her mic and takes her place. The film closes with Amber as anchor of the evening news for a Minneapolis/St. Paul television station.

Background

The movie is set in the fictional town of Mount Rose, Minnesota (which is an obvious reversal of the real-life town of Rosemount).

Kirsten Dunst's character Amber Atkins was inspired by news reporter Diane Sawyer, who is mentioned throughout the film as Amber's idol. Diane Sawyer is a television journalist for the U.S. network ABC News and co-anchor of ABCs Good Morning America, along with with Robin Roberts. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Filming locations

The film was filmed near Rosemount, Minnesota. The funeral home and funeral home scenes were filmed at the Wagner Funeral Home in Jordan, Minnesota. Rosemount is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. ... Jordan is a city in Scott County, Minnesota, United States. ...

The mall parking lot that Gladys and the ladies pulled into was NOT the Mall of America. It was actually Eden Prairie Center in Eden Praire, MN. Mall of America has two seven-level parking ramps, two relatively small surface parking lots, and a large expanse of surface parking located where the Met Center used to be. The surface parking is intended to be removed over the next few years, as the Mall's large and ambitious Phase II expansion goes into effect. The Metropolitan Sports Center (also known as the Met Center) was an indoor arena that formerly stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. ...

Characters

Amber Atkins: Contestant #8, formerly contestant #1. A blonde who lives in a trailer park with her mother. Becomes Mount Rose's American Teen Princess after the death of Becky Leeman. Does a tap-dancing act for her talent.

Rebecca Anne Leeman: Contestant #6. An ignorant brunette who is the daughter of the richest family in all of Mount Rose, and the (new) President of the Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club. Becomes Mount Rose's American Teen Princess, but dies the next day on a swan float which explodes, making Amber the new princess. Sings a song and dances with a Jesus doll on a rolling crucifix as her talent.

Annette Atkins: Amber's alcoholic, but loving mother and best friend. Nearly dies when a bomb is thrown into their trailer, but survives with her hand being melted onto a beer can.

Gladys Leeman: Becky's mother. Former Mount Rose American Teen Princess. In charge of the Mount Rose American Teen Pageant. Admits to killing Tammy Curry and, it is assumed, causing the other deaths and injuries in the run-up to the pageant, after the death of her daughter, Becky.

Lester Leeman: Owner of the Leeman Furniture store, father of Becky and husband of Gladys. Is known for his shady business practices including price gouging on low-quality furniture.

Loretta: Best friend and neighbor of Annette and Amber Atkins. Somewhat promiscuous. Houses Amber after her trailer gets blown up.

Iris Clark: Helper of Gladys in the Mount Rose American Teen Pageant.

Mary Johanson: The reigning Mount Rose American Teen Princess. Suffers from anorexia, and moves around via wheelchair (and a nurse to push her). Lip-synced to "Don't Cry Out Loud" as her talent. She credits her win to running 18 miles a day while only consuming 400 calories.

Leslie Miller: A dim-witted promiscuous blonde cheerleader who competes in the pageant because "I watch the pageants on TV, and because my boyfriend thinks I'll win." Becomes second runner-up. Performs a cheerleading act for her talent (as two wrestlers wrestle in the foreground). She is revealed to be pregnant at one point but it is quickly dropped. At the end of the film she had moved on to a career of exotic dancing after attending cosmetology school and had gone missing after last known to be dancing in the Philippines.

Lisa Swenson: A dark-haired clumsy girl who "fell in love with the Big Apple" while visiting her brother, who is a drag-queen. Drops out of the pageant at the last minute so Amber can compete, but was supposed to sing and dance to "New York, New York".

Tess Weinhaus: A chubby short-haired girl who has an obsession with dogs, and has gotten her belly remade with skin from her butt after her German Shepherd attacked her. Describes different dog breeds and (poorly) imitates their barks and howls as her talent.

Molly Howard: An American girl adopted by a family of Japanese-Americans. Dresses in clothes that resemble those of the 1950's era, and wears her hair in a style similar to those of the 50's. Considers herself a "Japanese-American" and line-dances for her talent.

Michelle Johnson: Contestant #5. [actress Laurie Sinclair] An artsy and poetic girl who does a monologue from the movie Soylent Green for her talent. Soylent Green is a 1973 science fiction movie starring Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Leigh Taylor-Young, Joseph Cotten and Chuck Connors. ...

Jenelle Betz: A girl who hopes to spread sign language around the world. Becomes unable to compete in the pageant due to a stage-light that falls on her head, making her unconscious and deaf. Was originally going to do an interpretive dance with sign language for her talent.

Tammy Curry: An athletic jock girl who was captain of the girls' varsity soccer team, ran track, and was the president of the Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club. Dies in an explosion on her father's thresher.

John Dough: Judge #1 of the pageant. An obvious pedophile. Pedophilia, paedophilia, or pædophilia (see spelling differences), is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to pre-pubescent children. ...

Harold Vilmes: Judge #2 of the pageant. An over-weight hardware store owner who is contracted to paint the Leeman's furniture store shortly before judging the pageant. It is stated at the end of the movie that shortly after the pageant he contracts Lyme disease and dies, leaving Hank the hardware store. Lyme disease (Borreliosis) is a bacterial infection with a spirochete from the species complex Borrelia burgdorferi, which is most often acquired from the bite of an infected Ixodes, or black-legged, tick, also known as a deer tick. ...

Jean Kangas: Judge #3 of the pageant. A quiet and anti-social woman who is also Lester's assistant in his furniture store. (Trivia: portrayed by the screenwriter.)

Hank Vilmes: Brother of Harold Vilmes. A mentally-challenged man who is often referred to as a "tard" or "retard".

Pat: Boyfriend of Leslie Miller.

Brett Clemmens: Quarterback of the school's football team. Shown to be the boyfriend of Becky Leeman although he clearly has a crush on Amber Atkins, but is shot in the head before the two begin dating by either Gladys or Becky.

Cut Scenes

In the original script, Molly Howard's character and family had more scenes, including the father asking his biological daughter to stay out of the picture, tell her that he doesn't care that she's going to college in Japan or dislikes the United States. By the end of the film, in one of the last scenes, Molly was to be seen boarding a bus marked "Lutheran Orphanage", which is seen in the parking lot of the held-up Food Shack. Michelle Johnson's part during the "Proud to Be an American" scene was cut as well.

External links

• Drop Dead Gorgeous at the Internet Movie Database.