Beautiful

REVIEW
Field makes an unimpressive directorial debut with this poorly written comedy about beauty pageant contestants and the lengths one of them will go to win. The foibles of back-stabbing entrants and behind-the-scenes tomfoolery have already been told with humor and style in the winning Smile, and half-heartedly in Drop Dead Gorgeous, but here they're excruciating. The biggest offense is the main character, Mona (Driver), who spends what seems to be a lifetime plotting to win the Miss American Miss contest. Mona is selfish, self-serving and mean, fine traits had this been a black comedy, but as written by Jon Bernstein, it's all meant to be heartwarming. Heartburning is more like it. Add a sorry subplot about Mona looking after a soccer-loving girl (Eisenberg, who looks like she'd rather be back doing commercials), and this is truly one huge mess of a film.