Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Regina King, Dietrich Bader and William Shatner.
Directed by: John Pasquin

Bluntly speaking? Sandra Bullock really needs a fresh character choice - the woman's talented isn't she? And people when we will stand up as our forefather's did before us, and shout from the town square, "No more sequels!" Pirates of the Caribbean firmly excluded…

Story goes… New York based FBI Agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is now famous after spoiling the fiendish plots of the bad guys in Miss Congeniality One, and bagging the running up crown in the Miss United States Pageant. She's so famous, she can't do field work anymore - it's hard to go under cover when your a cover girl!

So, rather than give her early retirement, her boss wants her to become "The Face of the FBI." Give the masculine branch of our judicial system a more flamboyant girly flair...post J.Edgar Hoover scandal - natch.

Viloa! After an awkward scene of Gracie being dumped by a guy (aka actor from the first film refused to be in this...), she relents and agrees to be made over - again - into some FBI Barbie.

Ten months later (of course by then the public would have forgotten her-but who's nitpicking?) armed with an entourage of stylists, Hart emerges a beautiful movie star-like publicity stunt; a star that looks a lot like Sandra Bullock actually.

Uh-oh! The reigning Queen of the US Pageant is kidnapped - along with the emcee - for some silly (plot) reason. Hart, having been close to the Queen in the last film, is sent to assist in the public relations brouhaha surrounding the case in Las Vegas.

But she's also given a partner, a bodyguard. A tough chick with the 'tude, Agent Sam Fuller (Regina King). Naturally the two cannot stand each other and the mayhem (hardly) begins.

No one at the pesky FBI branch in Vegas will listen to Hart when she notices blatant clues the kidnappers left behind - she is after all just a pretty face at this point. So she and her sour-pussed sidekick must save the day.

Oh spare us -PLEASE.

The film lacks any of the fun the first so-so film had. It's not badly written, just really dull. Though the pumped in soundtrack has some nice ditty's to help keep you from nodding off while snorffing down the plutonium laced popcorn.

Sandra Bullock obviously had some sort of contractual agreement on this one. The beautiful gal seems to have phoned in her performance - though her outfits as "The Face" were stunning, very Elle chic.

Dietrich Bader shows as a Queer Eye for the Straight Guy character/stylist for Ms. Hart. While generically "gay" the man's still very funny - and adorable; like a petit four of pure chocolate fluff.

The rest of the cast is like bad ABC Saturday Night Movie characters plodding along, the laughs are hardly armed and this mess, far from fabulous! Skip this entirely.

Snack recommendation: Frozen Pot Pies - microwaved.