Drop Lifeless Beautiful, the 1999 mockumentary-style black comedy with a completely stacked solid, is at present streaming on Paramount Plus as a part of the streamer’s October replace. Earlier than the replace, the movie had solely been out there for lease or buy, however Paramount subscribers can now watch as a part of their plan, with costs beginning at $7.99 per thirty days.
Even if the movie facilities on a teen magnificence pageant within the midwest, it’s decidedly nothing just like the lighthearted teen films that have been a staple of the late ’90s. The comedy is blisteringly darkish, with extra outrageous twists and turns than you’ll be able to shake a homicide weapon at. For this reason Drop Lifeless Beautiful remains to be liked by followers greater than 25 years later.
However for these considering of awaiting the primary time, we’ll break down every part it’s essential to know in regards to the film.
What’s Drop Lifeless Beautiful about?
Set within the fictional city of Mount Rose, Minnesota, Drop Lifeless Beautiful facilities on an annual native qualifying teen magnificence pageant for the nationwide Sarah Rose Cosmetics American Teen Princess Pageant.
When the movie picks up, there are two frontrunners within the pageant. The primary is 17-year-old Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst), a low revenue scholar who lives in a trailer park along with her single mom Annette (Ellen Barkin) and works on the native funeral residence doing hair and make-up on cadavers.
The second is Rebecca Ann “Becky” Leeman (Denise Richards), who comes from essentially the most prosperous household on the town, and whose mom, Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley), is the pinnacle organizer of the pageant and a former winner.
Nonetheless, within the days main as much as the pageant, mysterious accidents and deaths start occurring round city, beginning with all-star scholar Tammy Curry (Brooke Elise Bushman). Earlier than getting killed when her threshing machine explodes, Tammy was set to compete within the pageant, and in addition conveniently beat out Becky Leeman for president of the native Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Membership.
Regardless of the so-called accidents, the pageant goes on as deliberate, with only some hitches. However even after a winner is finally topped, it’s not the top of the story, which incorporates a jaw-dropping aftermath main as much as a surprising ending.
Who stars in Drop Lifeless Beautiful?
Along with Dunst, Richards, Alley, and Barkin, Drop Lifeless Beautiful boasts a assassin’s row of expertise, pun meant, in a star-studded ensemble solid.
The opposite contestants embody Brittany Murphy as Lisa Swenson, who has large desires of following in her homosexual brother’s footsteps to New York Metropolis, and in her first ever movie function, Amy Adams as cheerleader Leslie Miller. Allison Janney additionally stars as Loretta, Amber and Annette’s trailer park neighbor.
Prolific character actor Sam McMurray (The King of Queens, Elevating Arizona) performs Lester Leeman, husband and father to Gladys and Becky, and proprietor of the native furnishings retailer. Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers) stars as Iris Clark, Glady’s right-hand lady in organizing the pageant.
In the meantime, Michael McShane (Workplace House) performs one of many pageant”s judges, Harold Vilmes, whereas Will Sasso (Mad TV), in a task he would in all probability moderately overlook, performs Harold’s mentally incompetent brother Hank.
Lastly, Nora Dunn (Saturday Night time Stay) and Mo Gaffney (Completely Fabulous) play state judges, whereas Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!) seems because the voice of one of many documentarians, and Adam West stars as himself.
Was Drop Lifeless Beautiful thought of to be a great film?
Commercially, Drop Lifeless Beautiful was a failure on the field workplace, grossing simply $10.6 million in the USA and Canada, on a price range of $15 million. Critiques on the time have been additionally middling, and the film has only a 47 p.c critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes towards a relatively recent 75 p.c viewers rating.
Nonetheless, because the film grew to become out there on VHS and DVD and other people started discovering it, Drop Lifeless Beautiful finally cemented itself as a bona-fide cult traditional. Janney particularly, whose TV and movie credit embody The West Wing, American Magnificence, and I, Tonya (the latter of which gained her an Academy Award), instructed the AV Membership in 2011 that Loretta is the function she’s most acknowledged for.
“I believe I get extra folks coming as much as me saying how a lot they love that film than another factor I’ve achieved,” Janney mentioned on the time. “Much more than West Wing, I’ve to say. That film is a cult traditional, and that was an amazing half.”
“I did quite a lot of improv in that half, and… It was a very long time taking pictures up there for me,” she continued. “I frolicked rather a lot on the Mall Of America to get that accent down, ’trigger that was a tough accent to do proper. And I believe I received it fairly proper. However Ellen Barkin was a dream to work with. Hysterical. Yeah, Loretta’s one that individuals keep in mind rather a lot.”
Drop Lifeless Beautiful is at present streaming on Paramount Plus and you’ll watch the trailer right here.
