The bizarre phenomenon of small-town beauty pageants – a venture some would argue is as American as apple pie – is absolutely ripe for the picking in Michael Patrick Jann’s transgressive late ‘90s mockumentary satire.

Considered a bit of a Box Office bomb upon its initial release, renewed cult interest has since granted Drop Dead Gorgeous another shot at the crown.

Michael Patrick Jann’s film follows contestants as they prepare for the annual Sarah Rose Cosmetics Teen Princess Pageant in the sleepy, conservative town of Lake Rose, Minnesota. Yet as the 1995 competition begins, attitudes heat up and it becomes quickly apparent that these teenagers (and their overbearing parents) are prepared to go to any and all extreme lengths to win.

Drop Dead Gorgeous is notable for the big screen debut of Amy Adams; also starring Kirsten Dunst (released the same year as The Virgin Suicides), Allison Janney, Denise Richards, and the late Brittany Murphy.

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