By: James D. Leverton

James D. Leverton — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:41:54 +0000

The best film you’ve never heard of “Smile” (1975) is a comedic gem and easily one of the best unknown films of the ’70′s. An incisive satire set at a California beauty pageant, director Michael Ritchie’s film offers a chance to see Bruce Dern in a rare “straight” role, Barbara Feldon playing a character worlds away from her famous Agent 99 from “Get Smart” and legendary choreographer Michael Kidd in a hilarious supporting turn as (what else?) a lecherous, alcoholic beauty pageant choreographer. Add Melanie Griffith, Annette O’Toole and Joan Prather in early roles and a hysterical supporting turn by Maria O’Brien (Edmund’s daughter) and you have a top cast making the most out of Jerry Belson’s incisive script.Dern plays “Big Bob” Freelander, the head judge at the California State Young American Miss Pageant and Feldon is the pageant director whose motto to the contestants is to “keep smiling.” Of course, this being a satire, Ritchie and Belson mercilessly lampoon everything in their path, making Feldon an unhappily married harridan whose husband hates her, Dern a father who is concerned that his horny son “Little Bob” (Eric Shea) and his hornier friends are obsessed with seeing the contestants naked (just like his father and the other men involved) and the contestants are, for the most part, back-stabbing primadonnas who will resort to anything to win. And then there’s Kidd’s choreographer, who shows up late and drunk and spends most of his time bedding the contestants, when he’s not insulting their rather pathetic talents. (One of my favorite bits: Miss Imperial Valley’s “talent” is packing a suitcase.) But the highlight of the film is O’Brien as the sole Mexican-American contestant, who spends the entire time trying to bribe the judges with “a favorite dish from my home country, guacomole dip.” She is a riot and, along with Kidd, the primary reasons to see the film.One of the great things about “Smile” is the ending. It is absolutely impossible to guess who will win the final competition. And the reactions of everyone involved are true and real, thanks to Belson’s terrific and unpredictable script and Ritchie’s top-notch directing. In fact, Ritchie followed this film with a cinematic home run, 1976′s “The Bad News Bears.” These two films alone sealed the late director’s reputation as a master satirist.In all, “Smile” may very well be the best film you’ve never heard of. And let’s be thankful that MGM/UA released the DVD in 1:85:1 widescreen, which they don’t always do. The extras are thin, but the film more than makes up for it, especially at such a low price. In all, this one is a real winner. ***** (out of *****)

By: William Timothy Lukeman

William Timothy Lukeman — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:23:01 +0000

A scathing satire with heart One of the underrated films from the golden age of American filmmaking, this wonderful story holds up very well some 30 years later. It’s far more than just a satiric look at teen beauty pageants & the culture that surrounds them (although it skewers them sharply & perceptively) — it’s also a fiercely revealing look at the illusions of the American Dream. The writing is pointed & intelligent, and the cast is superb!

Comments on: Smile

By: James D. Leverton

By: William Timothy Lukeman