Drop Dead Gorgeous

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Drop Dead Gorgeous

PG-13

1999

1h 39m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

73 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

An annual beauty pageant in small-town Minnesota turns ridiculously competitive and ultimately chaotic in this biting comedy. Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst), the daughter of hard-drinking mom Annette (Ellen Barkin), and Becky Leeman (Denise Richards), who is motivated by her former beauty-queen mother, Gladys (Kirstie Alley), are among the top contenders in the event. As Amber, Becky, and other local girls prepare for the big day, bizarre incidents occur, leading up to an ending with a bang.

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Critics Consensus

It's dark humor sometimes hits, but mostly misses the target.

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Jia Tolentino

The New Yorker

Jul 8, 2019

The smile of a beauty queen, the glinting crown and the heaps of flowers, always holds the faint scent of bloodlust, and a whisper of the grave.

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Jay Carr

Boston Globe

Jan 1, 2000

Drop Dead Gorgeous hasn't enough structural savvy to make it a winner.

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

Jan 1, 2000

Fitfully amusing!

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Jul 12, 2022

5/5

Acerbic and hilariously un-PC, Drop Dead Gorgeous stands the test of time as one of the best comedies ever made.

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Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Jul 1, 2022

This cult classic is horribly offensive and devastatingly funny. Featuring a stacked cast of powerful female performers and a razor sharp screenplay, Drop Dead Gorgeous is a misunderstood classic that we will never see the likes of again.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Feb 17, 2022

2.5/4

While funny at times, it doesn't resonate beyond the gleeful, acidic surface

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 15, 2026

Drop Dead Gorgeous = a 3.5 star Movie...

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Cfunk D

@Cfunk2085 Aug 28, 2026

Movie is hilarious. They can't make movies like this anymore

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Jonathan W.

@jdwells77 Jun 6, 2026

This is one of my all time favorite comedies. Is it filmmaking at its finest? No. Have some of the jokes not aged well? Yes. But the cast and the over the top script make it worth watching. Alison Janney creates one of the most memorable and hysterically funny characters. It’s definitely worth watching.

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Scott R

@ScottR May 21, 2026

Another lost Flixster review. Saw on box. This is a hilarious and painful comedy poking fun at beauty pageants and the zaniness that can happen when people are so invested in them. Great cast.

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Scott M

@RT75128960 Apr 25, 2026

One of my favorite comedies. But it doesn't go far enough. Mostly because its PG-13 and the producers wanted it to be for kids. Wrong target.

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Farah R.

@Farah Apr 24, 2026

Not a bad comedy. Some parts were genuinely funny but for the most part, Drop Dead Gorgeous is kinda boring.

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Michael Patrick Jann

Director

Kirsten Dunst

Amber Atkins

Ellen Barkin

Annette Atkins

Allison Janney

Loretta

Denise Richards

Rebecca 'Becky' Ann Leeman

Kirstie Alley

Gladys Leeman

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Drop Dead Gorgeous: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

An annual beauty pageant in small-town Minnesota turns ridiculously competitive and ultimately chaotic in this biting comedy. Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst), the daughter of hard-drinking mom Annette (Ellen Barkin), and Becky Leeman (Denise Richards), who is motivated by her former beauty-queen mother, Gladys (Kirstie Alley), are among the top contenders in the event. As Amber, Becky, and other local girls prepare for the big day, bizarre incidents occur, leading up to an ending with a bang.

Director: Michael Patrick Jann
Producer: Judy Hofflund, Gavin Polone
Screenwriter: Lona Williams
Distributor: New Line Cinema, Capella International, Icon Film Distribution Ltd., Pony Canyon Inc., Metropolitan Filmexport [fr], Filmes Castello Lopes [pt], Concorde Filmverleih, New Line Home Video [us]
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Capella International, KC Medien AG
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.6M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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