Drop Dead Gorgeous (film)

2025-09-06T06:47:28Z

77.239.89.14:

{{Short description|1999 American black comedy film}}
{{other uses|Drop Dead Gorgeous (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Drop Dead Gorgeous
| image = Drop Dead Gorgeous poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| alt =
| director = [[Michael Patrick Jann]]
| producer = [[Gavin Polone]]<br />[[Judy Hofflund]]
| writer = [[Lona Williams]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Kirstie Alley]]
* [[Ellen Barkin]]
* [[Kirsten Dunst]]
* [[Denise Richards]]
}}
| music = [[Mark Mothersbaugh]]
| cinematography = [[Michael Spiller]]
| editing = Janice Hampton
| distributor = [[New Line Cinema]]
| released = {{Film date|1999|7|23}}
| runtime = 98 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $15 million
| gross = $10.6 million<ref name=BOM />
}}
'''''Drop Dead Gorgeous''''' is a 1999 American [[satire (film and television)|satirical]] [[mockumentary]] [[black comedy film]] directed by [[Michael Patrick Jann]] and written by [[Lona Williams]]. It stars [[Kirstie Alley]], [[Ellen Barkin]], [[Kirsten Dunst]] and [[Denise Richards]], along with [[Brittany Murphy]], [[Allison Janney]] and [[Amy Adams]] in her film debut. The film follows a small town [[beauty pageant]] and the fierce, deadly lengths the contestants will take to secure the crown.

Though the film was not a box office success and critical reviews were mixed, it has gained a following over time and has come to be regarded as a [[cult film]].

==Plot==
In 1995, the small, conservative town of Mount Rose, [[Minnesota]], is preparing for their annual local qualifying [[beauty pageant|pageant]] for the national Sarah Rose Cosmetics American Teen Princess Pageant. A film crew is in town to document the pageant and its lead-up. One of the interviewees is 17-year-old Amber Atkins, who signs up for the pageant in the hopes of winning a college scholarship and following in the footsteps of her idol [[Diane Sawyer]].

Among the other contestants are Rebecca "Becky" Leeman, the daughter of the richest man in town. Becky's mother Gladys is the head of the pageant organizing committee and a former winner. Because of the [[conflict of interest|business connections]] between the Leemans' furniture store and the pageant judges, many fear the contest will be rigged. In the days leading up to the pageant, many odd events occur around town, such as contestant Tammy Curry being killed when her [[threshing machine]] explodes, and the death of a boy Becky liked who was interested in Amber, which is ruled as a hunting accident. Amber considers dropping out when her mother Annette's trailer explodes but remains in the competition to make her mother proud. At the dress rehearsal, a stage light knocks out contestant Jenelle Betz and renders her deaf.

On the night of the pageant, Amber's dance costume disappears. She accuses Becky of stealing it and they have a fight backstage. Pageant choreographer Chloris Klinghagen gives Amber a new costume; however, organizer Gladys Leeman says she cannot perform as the new costume was not approved weeks earlier. Amber's fellow contestant, Lisa Swenson, takes pity on her and drops out to give Amber her costume. Amber is able to perform her [[tap dance]] number and receives a standing ovation. For her performance, Becky sings "[[Can't Take My Eyes Off You]]" while dancing with a life-sized [[Jesus]] doll on a crucifix, which amuses and horrifies the audience.

The pageant announces the winners: cheerleader Leslie Miller is second runner-up, Amber is first runner-up, and Becky wins. During Becky's victory parade the next day, she is killed in a freak accident when her elaborate swan float bursts into flames and explodes. A grief-stricken Gladys flies into a blind rage, admitting to being responsible for all the shenanigans, and is immediately arrested. Amber is crowned the new pageant winner. At the state competition, Amber wins the title by default after the other contestants contract [[food poisoning]]. She receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the national pageant as a prize, but upon arrival, she and the other state winners are devastated to find that Sarah Rose Cosmetics was shut down for [[tax evasion]], meaning the national pageant has been permanently canceled. This sends all the contestants except Amber into a rage-fueled rampage where they vandalize the company's property.

A few years later, Gladys escapes from prison and becomes involved in a police standoff at the Mount Rose supermarket, declaring her intent to take revenge on Amber. During the six-hour standoff, a television reporter at the scene is hit by a stray bullet. Amber quickly picks up the microphone and takes over to report the story, impressing the news station with her poise and confidence. Amber becomes co-anchor of the evening news for [[Minneapolis–St. Paul]] WAZB-TV, thus fulfilling her dream of possibly becoming the next Diane Sawyer.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Kirsten Dunst]] as Amber Atkins
* [[Ellen Barkin]] as Annette Atkins
* [[Allison Janney]] as Loretta
* [[Denise Richards]] as Rebecca Ann "Becky" Leeman
* [[Kirstie Alley]] as Gladys Leeman
* [[Sam McMurray]] as Lester Leeman
* [[Mindy Sterling]] as Iris Clark<ref name="Mindy Sterling">{{cite news |title=Austin Powers movie features Mindy Sterling |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41449228/the_daily_advertiser/ |access-date=January 1, 2020 |archive-date=January 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101080810/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41449228/the_daily_advertiser/ |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana)|The Daily Advertiser]] |agency=Associated Press |via=Newspapers.com |date=April 6, 1999 |page=4B}} {{free access}}</ref>
* [[Brittany Murphy]] as Lisa Swenson
* [[Amy Adams]] as Leslie Miller
* Laurie Sinclair as Michelle Johnson
* Shannon Nelson as Tess Weinhaus
* Tara Redepenning as Molly Howard
* Sarah Stewart as Jenelle Betz
* [[Alexandra Holden]] as Mary Johanson
* Brooke Elise Bushman as Tammy Curry
* [[Matt Malloy]] as John Dough, judge #1
* [[Mike McShane|Michael McShane]] as Harold Vilmes, judge #2
* [[Will Sasso]] as Hank Vilmes
* [[Lona Williams]] as Jean Kangas, judge #3
* John T. Olson as Pat
* [[Nora Dunn]] as Colleen Douglas, state pageant
* [[Mo Gaffney]] as Terry Macy, state pageant
* [[Adam West]] as himself
* Mary Gillis as Chloris Klinghagen
* Richard Narita as Mr. Howard
* [[Patti Yasutake]] as Mrs. Howard
* [[Seiko Matsuda]] as Tina/Seiko Howard
* [[Amanda Detmer]] as Miss Minneapolis
* [[Thomas Lennon (actor)|Thomas Lennon]] as voice of documentarian
* [[Samantha Harris]] as Miss Burnsville
}}

==Background==
The movie is set in the fictional town of Mount Rose, Minnesota, which in turn is based on [[Rosemount, Minnesota|Rosemount]] where writer [[Lona Williams]] grew up. The film was originally titled "Dairy Queens" but was changed for legal reasons.<ref name="buzzfeed-15">{{cite web | date = July 22, 2014 | first = Louis | last = Peitzman | title = "Jesus Loves Winners": How "Drop Dead Gorgeous" Found Cult Success As A Flop | url = https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/drop-dead-gorgeous-15-year-anniversary | website = [[BuzzFeed]] | access-date = September 9, 2019 | archive-date = July 22, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140722203905/https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/drop-dead-gorgeous-15-year-anniversary | url-status = live }}</ref>

The characters in the movie all sport exaggerated, over-the-top parodies of [[North Central American English|Minnesota accent]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/dial-map.html |title= A Dialect Map of American English |website=Uta.fi |access-date= 2012-02-14 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120212114007/http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/dial-map.html |archive-date=2012-02-12 }}</ref> The film was shot throughout the [[Carver County, Minnesota|Carver County]] area, mainly in [[Waconia, Minnesota]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jonas |first1=Trent |title=Almost Nobody Knows That Parts Of The Cult Classic Drop Dead Gorgeous Were Filmed In This Tiny Minnesota Town |url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/minnesota/movie-filming-small-town-mn/#:~:text=Drop%20Dead%20Gorgeous%20is%20a,also%20featured%20in%20the%20film. |website=onlyinyourstate.com |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518015543/https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/minnesota/movie-filming-small-town-mn/#:~:text=Drop%20Dead%20Gorgeous%20is%20a,also%20featured%20in%20the%20film. |url-status=live }}</ref> although names of real Minnesota communities were shown on the sashes of contestants later in the movie.

News reporter [[Diane Sawyer]] is mentioned throughout the film as Kirsten Dunst's character Amber Atkins's idol, as Sawyer was a former beauty pageant winner. Amber's other idols include her beauty pageant mother who raised her alone in a trailer park, and the previous year's pageant winner who is hospitalized for [[anorexia]]. Competing in the beauty pageant for a scholarship is juxtaposed against the opportunities that boys have in leaving Mount Rose, such as [[Ice hockey|hockey]] scholarships and [[prison]].<ref name="ID">{{cite news |last1=Kaplan |first1=Ilana |title='drop dead gorgeous' is the cult movie that combines pageants and murder mystery |url=https://i-d.co/article/drop-dead-gorgeous-is-the-cult-movie-that-combines-pageants-and-murder-mystery/ |access-date=18 May 2023 |work=[[I-D]] |date=August 4, 2019}}</ref>

Two [[Melissa Manchester]] songs are featured in the film as songs used in the talent portion by contestants. Mary lip-syncs "Don't Cry Out Loud", while Jenelle sings and signs "Through the Eyes of Love". [[Fanfare for the Common Man]] is played to introduce the parade for the rigged competition and the plight of Hank.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drop Dead Gorgeous Soundtrack (1999) OST |url=https://ringostrack.com/en/movie/drop-dead-gorgeous/18414 |website=ringostrack.com |access-date=18 May 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518015545/https://ringostrack.com/en/movie/drop-dead-gorgeous/18414 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
{{Infobox album
| name = Drop Dead Gorgeous:<br /><small>Motion Picture Soundtrack</small>
| type = Soundtrack
| artist = Various Artists
| cover =
| alt =
| released = {{start date|1999|7|13}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Soundtrack]]
| length =
| label = [[Sire Records|Sire]]
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r422572|first=Heather|last=Phares}}</ref>
| rev2 =
| rev2Score =
| noprose = yes
}}

{{Track listing
| extra_column = Performer
| title1 = 400 Calories
| note1 = dialogue
| extra1 = Alexandra Holden (Mary Johanson)
| length1 = 0:21
| title2 = Number One
| note2 =
| extra2 = Lifeboy
| length2 = 2:56
| title3 = She
| note3 =
| extra3 = Sunday Suit
| length3 = 2:50
| title4 = Two Months Late
| note4 = dialogue
| extra4 = Amy Adams (Leslie Miller) and Thomas Lennon (the Documentarian)
| length4 = 0:19
| title5 = [[Love Is All Around (Sonny Curtis song)|Love Is All Around]]
| note5 = Theme from ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]''
| extra5 = [[Joan Jett]]
| length5 = 2:20
| title6 = Pressure Man
| note6 =
| extra6 = [[The Feelers]]
| length6 = 4:29
| title7 = FAQ
| note7 = dialogue
| extra7 = Michael McShane & Will Sasso (Harold & Hank Vilmes)
| length7 = 0:10
| title8 = [[Young Americans (song)|Young Americans]]
| note8 = [[David Bowie]] cover
| extra8 = [[Everything (band)|Everything]]
| length8 = 3:40
| title9 = Beautiful Dreamer
| note9 =
| extra9 = [[Mandy Barnett]]
| length9 = 3:42
| title10 = [[Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting]]
| note10 =
| extra10 = [[Elton John]]
| length10 = 4:50
| title11 = Spit It Out
| note11 = dialogue
| extra11 = Allison Janney (Loretta) and Kirsten Dunst (Amber Atkins)
| length11 = 0:17
| title12 = Girl That's Hip
| note12 =
| extra12 = Tim Carroll
| length12 = 3:13
| title13 = Lost Picasso
| note13 =
| extra13 = Hot Sauce Johnson
| length13 = 3:16
| title14 = Boat Show
| note14 = dialogue
| extra14 = Kirstie Alley (Gladys Leeman)
| length14 = 0:09
| title15 = Ballad of a Teenage Queen
| note15 =
| extra15 = [[Dale Watson (singer)|Dale Watson]]
| length15 = 2:26
| title16 = Counting
| note16 =
| extra16 = Skirt
| length16 = 2:30
| title17 = Watch You Sleep
| note17 =
| extra17 = The Nevers
| length17 = 5:23
| title18 = Confessions
| note18 =
| extra18 = Mark Mothersbaugh
| length18 = 2:37
| title19 = Beauty Pageant Biz
| note19 = dialogue
| extra19 = Nora Dunn (Colleen Douglas)
| length19 = 0:22
| title20 = Devil's Triangle
| note20 =
| extra20 = [[Primitive Radio Gods]]
| length20 = 2:06
| title21 = 9mm
| note21 = dialogue
| extra21 = Denise Richards (Rebecca Ann Leeman)
| length21 = 0:16
| title22 = [[Can't Take My Eyes Off You]]
| note22 =
| extra22 = Denise Richards (Rebecca Ann Leeman) and Mark Mothersbaugh
| length22 = 2:02
| title23 = Last Laugh
| note23 = dialogue
| extra23 = Brittany Murphy (Lisa Swenson)
| length23 = 0:21
}}

==Release==
The movie was originally scheduled to be released on April 30, 1999 before being pushed to July 23 of that year.<ref name="Mindy Sterling"/>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Drop Dead Gorgeous'' grossed $10.6 million in the United States and Canada, against a budget of $15 million.<ref name="BOM">{{Cite Box Office Mojo|access-date=2023-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125035526/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0157503/|archive-date=January 25, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Critical response===
The film received mixed reviews. {{RT prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|Its dark humor sometimes hits, but mostly misses the target.|ref=yes|access-date=2023-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911000505/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/drop_dead_gorgeous|archive-date=September 11, 2024|url-status=live}} {{MC film|28|28|ref=yes|access-date=2023-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810001514/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/drop-dead-gorgeous|archive-date=August 10, 2013|url-status=live}}

Allison Janney and Denise Richards in particular received praise for their performances from a number of critics.<ref>{{cite news|title=Movie Review; 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' Wins Prize for Congeniality|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1999-07-23|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-23-ca-58715-story.html|access-date=2010-12-13|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|archive-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715032419/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/23/entertainment/ca-58715|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date= July 23, 1999 |first= Mary Elizabeth |last= Williams |title= Drop Dead Gorgeous|work= [[Salon.com|Salon]] |url= http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/1999/07/23/gorgeous/index.html|access-date= 2010-12-13|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110130062448/http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/1999/07/23/gorgeous/index.html|archive-date= 2011-01-30}}</ref> Dennis Harvey of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film "a fitfully amusing satire that would have gained a lot of mileage from just a tad more subtlety."<ref name="Harvey" /> Harvey said the writing is not sophisticated enough to pull off some of the jokes without being condescending. He otherwise praised the pacing, the performances, and the clever visual casting.<ref name="Harvey">{{cite news |date= 1999-07-15 |first= Dennis |last= Harvey |title= Drop Dead Gorgeous |work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url= https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/drop-dead-gorgeous-1200458418/ |access-date= 2019-09-09 |archive-date= July 22, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190722025748/https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/drop-dead-gorgeous-1200458418/ |url-status= live }}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] liked the idea of the film, but wrote that the script failed to translate to the screen and was not funny enough, due to subtle miscalculations of production and performance.<ref>{{cite news |date= 1999-07-23 |first= Roger |last= Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |work= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |title= Drop Dead Gorgeous Movie Review (1999) |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/drop-dead-gorgeous-1999 |access-date= July 22, 2019 |archive-date= July 22, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190722025742/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/drop-dead-gorgeous-1999 |url-status= live }}</ref>
Jeff Vice of the [[Deseret News]] criticized the film for being derivative, comparing it to the 1975 pageant comedy ''[[Smile (1975 film)|Smile]]'', the 1996 film ''[[Fargo (1996 film)|Fargo]],'' and the mockumentary ''[[Waiting for Guffman]]''.<ref>{{cite news |date= June 23, 1999 |first= Jeff |last= Vice |title= Drop Dead Gorgeous |work= [[Deseret News]] |url= https://www.deseret.com/1999/7/30/20089227/drop-dead-gorgeous |access-date= September 9, 2019 |archive-date= August 13, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220813093904/https://www.deseret.com/1999/7/30/20089227/drop-dead-gorgeous |url-status= live }}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gave the film a D grade, and compared the film unfavorably to ''Smile'' and ''[[The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |author= |date=July 16, 1999 |title=Drop Dead Gorgeous |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/07/16/drop-dead-gorgeous/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=September 9, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108212221/https://ew.com/article/1999/07/16/drop-dead-gorgeous/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Harvey" />

== Legacy ==
The film has gained new fans with time and is regarded as a [[cult film]]. In 2011, [[Allison Janney]] stated that she is approached by more fans of this film than for her Emmy-winning tenure on ''[[The West Wing]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last= Harris |first= Will |title= Random Roles: Allison Janney |url= https://www.avclub.com/allison-janney-1798226895 |work= [[The A.V. Club]] |date= 9 August 2011 |access-date= 2011-09-08 |archive-date= September 10, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110910130512/http://www.avclub.com/articles/allison-janney,60118/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

In July 2019, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of its release, ''Drop Dead Gorgeous'' was released for streaming for the first time on [[Hulu]], which was "met with a host of celebratory tweets, particularly among women and queer people, who have long recognized it as a cult classic", according to ''[[The Independent]]'s'' Adam White.<ref name="Independent"/> It attracted retrospective praise from the likes of ''The Independent'', ''[[The Guardian]]'', ''[[Teen Vogue]]'', ''[[The New Yorker]]'' and ''[[E! News]]''.<ref name="vogue">{{cite news| url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/drop-dead-gorgeous| title=Revisiting the Cult Classic "Drop Dead Gorgeous On Its 20th Anniversary"| first=Alex| last=Zaragoza| work=Teen Vogue| date=2019-07-23| access-date=2019-07-24| archive-date=July 24, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724065132/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/drop-dead-gorgeous| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/1058687/on-set-feuds-offended-audiences-and-a-box-office-disaster-20-secrets-you-might-not-know-about-drop-dead-gorgeous#photo-1019839| title=On-Set Feuds, Offended Audiences and a Box Office Disaster: 20 Secrets You Might Not Know About Drop Dead Gorgeous| first=Tierney| last=Bricker| work=[[E! News]]| date=2019-07-23| access-date=2019-07-24| archive-date=July 24, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724062713/https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/1058687/on-set-feuds-offended-audiences-and-a-box-office-disaster-20-secrets-you-might-not-know-about-drop-dead-gorgeous#photo-1019839| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Guardian"/> The ''New Yorker's'' [[Jia Tolentino]] credited the movie's "transformation" from a flop to a "venerated artifact of Y2K camp" to its slow discovery on VHS and DVD by teenage girls who identified with its truthfulness and particular brand of dark humor.<ref name="New Yorker">{{Cite magazine| url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/drop-dead-gorgeous-which-is-finally-streaming-is-possibly-my-favorite-movie-of-all-time| title="Drop Dead Gorgeous," Which Is Finally Streaming, Is Possibly My Favorite Movie of All Time| first=Jia| last=Tolentino| magazine=The New Yorker| date=2019-07-05| access-date=2019-07-24| archive-date=July 10, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710203357/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/drop-dead-gorgeous-which-is-finally-streaming-is-possibly-my-favorite-movie-of-all-time| url-status=live}}</ref> Tolentino summed up the movie as "...offensive, for sure—completely awful, really, and possibly deadly. It is also irreplaceable, hilarious, surprisingly tender, and lavishly, magnificently absurd."<ref name="New Yorker"/> ''[[The Guardian]]'' praised the film's "vicious indecency", describing it as "...trashy, wonderful, endlessly quotable, and...20 years ahead of its time."<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/23/drop-dead-gorgeous-20th-anniversary-dark-comedy| title=Drop Dead Gorgeous at 20: how dark pageant comedy works better in 2019| first=Rebecca| last=Nicholson| work=[[The Guardian]]| date=2019-07-23| access-date=2019-07-24| archive-date=August 30, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830184641/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/23/drop-dead-gorgeous-20th-anniversary-dark-comedy| url-status=live}}</ref>

Adam White further praised the movie's radical departure from lighthearted teen movies of the late 1990s, stating that it "was made for a generation of freaks and outsiders, whose ambitions, oddities, queerness and poverty were otherwise ignored by anything similarly mainstream or funny." He added that it was "acidic and truthful about beauty, class and ambition, satirised all-American moralism and blew up Denise Richards, then fresh from ''[[Wild Things (film)|Wild Things]]'', as she rode a giant paper-maché swan."<ref name="Independent">{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/drop-dead-gorgeous-20th-anniversary-cult-comedy-kirsten-dunst-amy-adams-a9015991.html| title=Drop Dead Gorgeous: The cult classic that defined 90s teen outsiders| first=Adam| last=White| work=[[The Independent]]| date=2019-07-23| access-date=2019-07-24| archive-date=July 24, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724171214/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/drop-dead-gorgeous-20th-anniversary-cult-comedy-kirsten-dunst-amy-adams-a9015991.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Alex Zaragoza of ''[[Teen Vogue]]'' echoed other reviews in praising the movie's appeal to outsiders and misfits, and departing from the teen rom-com tropes of other movies released that year like ''[[10 Things I Hate About You]]'' and ''[[She's All That]]''.<ref name="vogue"/> Zaragoza stated that the girls in ''Drop Dead Gorgeous'' "don't yearn to land their respective dream boy...they're too busy trying not to get capped by a crazed mother–daughter duo... and striving to break out of the confines of their small town." He further described it as a "wild, absurdly portrayed story that's fundamentally about small-town struggles and overcoming the adversity of being born into a class that lacks opportunities to ultimately earn the life you've dreamed of for yourself. It's unabashed weirdness and mockumentary-style filmmaking made it an immediate cult classic".<ref name="vogue"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1999 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s mockumentary films]]
[[Category:1990s satirical films]]
[[Category:1990s teen comedy films]]
[[Category:American black comedy films]]
[[Category:American mockumentary films]]
[[Category:American satirical films]]
[[Category:American teen comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]
[[Category:Films about beauty pageants]]
[[Category:Films about murder]]
[[Category:Films produced by Judy Hofflund]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mark Mothersbaugh]]
[[Category:Films set in 1995]]
[[Category:Films set in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Films shot in Minnesota]]
[[Category:New Line Cinema films]]

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Drop Dead Gorgeous (film)