Drop Dead Gorgeous

The battle between the good and the bad is bound to get ugly.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Timing: 1:38 (98 min)

no scores
6.5/10
447
6.7/10
45000
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Release date
Country
Genre
Budget
$15 000 000
Revenue
$10 571 408
Website
Scenario
Producer
Gavin Polone, Judy Hofflund, Donna Langley, Lona Williams, Claire Rudnick Polstein
Operator
Artist
Ruth Ammon
Audition
Editing
Janice Hampton, David Codron, Robert Graf
All team (77)

Short description

In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys Leeman wants to make sure her daughter follows in her footsteps; explosions, falling lights, and trailer fires prove that. As the Leemans are the richest family in town, the police are pretty relaxed about it all. Despite everything, main rival (but sweet) Amber Atkins won't give up without a fight.

What's left behind the scenes

  • Screenwriter Lona Williams once participated in beauty pageants. She appeared on screen as the third judge of the competition (a non-speaking role).
  • Allison Janney, who played Loretta, claims she is more often recognized as the character from this film than any other.
  • The first screen appearance for Amy Adams, Jessie King, and Amanda Detmer.
  • The film features numerous references to dishes from traditional Minnesota cuisine.
  • The film's original title was "Dairy Queens," but it had to be changed when the American multinational fast-food and ice cream café chain Dairy Queen threatened legal action.
  • According to director Michael Patrick Jann, Kirstie Alley (who played Gladys) refused to even try on many of the costumes selected for her character and suggested sending them to the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood (an institution that caters to the spiritual needs of celebrities and helps them achieve enlightenment and personal growth).
  • The film is set in the fictional town of Mount Rose, an anagram of Rosemount, where screenwriter Lona Williams graduated from high school.
  • The school's sports team is called the "Muskies." This is a reference to the muskellunge (a relatively rare freshwater fish of the pike family, found in North America, particularly in Minnesota).
  • While working on the character of Gladys, Kirstie Alley drew inspiration from Frances McDormand's performance in Joel and Ethan Coen's thriller "Fargo" (1995).
  • Scenes with Will Sasso (playing Hank) were filmed and added to the film after the main shooting period had ended, when the producers realized there weren't enough male characters.
  • The original ending of the film showed Kirstie Alley's character committing suicide, with the sniper revealed to be the character played by Claudia Wilkens. The ending was reshot due to audience reaction at a preview screening.
  • Screenwriter Lona Williams once participated in beauty pageants. She appeared on screen as the third judge of a pageant (a non-speaking role).
  • Allison Janney, who played Loretta, claims that she is most often recognized on the street as the character from this particular film.
  • The screen debuts of Amy Adams, Jessie King, and Amanda Detmer.
  • According to director Michael Patrick Jann, Kirstie Alley (who played Gladys) refused to even try on many of the costumes selected for her character and suggested they be sent to the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood (an institution that serves the spiritual needs of celebrities and helps them achieve enlightenment and personal growth).
  • The film takes place in the fictional town of Mount Rose, which is an anagram of Rosemount, where screenwriter Lona Williams graduated from high school.
  • While working on the role of Gladys, Courstine Alley drew inspiration from Frances McDormand's performance in Joel and Ethan Coen's thriller Fargo (1995).
  • The scenes with Will Sasso (who plays Hank) were filmed and added to the movie after principal photography had already concluded, when producers realized there were not enough male characters in the film.
  • The original ending of the film showed Courstine Alley's character committing suicide, with the sniper revealed to be a character played by Claudia Wilkens. The finale was reshot due to audience reactions during a preview screening.

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