Smile (1975)
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon, (more)
- Director(s):
- Michael Ritchie
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG
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The American beauty-contest ritual is skewered by screenwriter Jerry Belson and director Michael Ritchie in Smile. The film takes place during an annual pageant in Santa Rosa, CA. The event is supervised by local mover and shaker Brenda DiCarlo (Barbara Feldon), to whom the contest is the most important thing on earth. Nothing -- not even the violent backlash of her neglected husband, Andy (Nicholas Pryor) -- is allowed to interfere with her pet project. Choreographer Tommy French (Michael Kidd), outwardly nasty and cynical, takes money out of his own pocket to insure the safety of the contestants as they parade down a rickety stage runway; chief judge "Big Bob" Freelander (Bruce Dern) discovers that his son is a budding voyeur, information which leads to a silly "politically correct" consequence; and the various contestants scheme to upstage one another through a variety of means (one girl puts Vaseline on her teeth to assure a gleaming smile). Among the contestants are such stars-to-be as Colleen Camp, Denise Nickerson, Annette O'Toole, and Melanie Griffith. Though not a hit itself, Smile has developed a fervent cult following, which led to a Broadway musical version of the property in 1986, with songs by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 113 mins
Complete Cast:
- Bruce Dern - "Big Bob" Freelander
- Michael Kidd - Tommy French
- Nicholas Pryor - Andy DiCarlo
- Shawn Christianson - "Miss Fountain Valley"
- George Skaff - Dr. Malvert
- Brad Thompson - Chuck
- Dennis Dugan - Logan
- Titos Vandis - Emil Eidleman
- Melanie Griffith - Karen Love/"Miss Simi Valley"
- Denise Nickerson - Shirley Tolstoy/"Miss San Diego"
- Annette O'Toole - Doria Houston/"Miss Anaheim"
- Kate Sarchet - Judy Wagner/"Miss Modesto"
- Barbara Feldon - Brenda DiCarlo
- Geoffrey Lewis - Wilson Shears
- Colleen Camp - Connie Thompson/"Miss Imperial County"
- Eric Shea - Little Bob Freelander
- Adam Reed - Freddy
- Paul Benedict - Orren Brooks
- Caroline Williams - Helga
- William Traylor - Ray Brandy
- Dick McGarvin - Ted Farley
- Maria O'Brien - Maria Gonzales/"Miss Salinas"
- Joan Prather - Robin Gibson/"Miss Antelope Valley"
- Director(s):
- Michael Ritchie
- Writer(s):
- Jerry Belson
- Producer(s):
- Marion Dougherty, Tim Zinnemann, Michael Ritchie
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG(Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Situations)
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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