Miss Firecracker

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Miss Firecracker

PG

1989

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Carnelle Scott (Holly Hunter) is a restless Mississippi girl looking for a life change. She decides to enter a beauty pageant, which her cousin Elain (Mary Steenburgen) had won years before. Despite a lack of support from those close to her, including conniving cousin Delmount (Tim Robbins), Carnelle remains determined. She enlists the help of a seamstress (Alfre Woodard) to outfit her for the competition, while rebuffing the advances of predatory men, as she aims to bring home the crown.

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Dolores Barclay

Associated Press

10/25/2018

Ultimately, Miss Firecracker is a sweet celebration of humanity, of just plain folks trying to get by.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

04/03/2003

4/5

A neglected gem with sensational performances by everyone, especially Steenburgen and Woodard.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

01/01/2000

3.5/4

What finally makes Miss Firecracker special is that it is not about who wins the contest, but about how all beauty contests are about the need to be loved and about how silly a beauty contest can seem if somebody really loves you.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 5

"Miss Firecracker" is a huge cotton candy of a movie: There's not really much there; but it's gaudy to look at, and sweet going down the gullet.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

08/21/2017

B+

A gentle, off-beat satire that characterizes a bunch of Southern oddballs striving for acceptance.

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Chuck O'Leary

FulvueDrive-in.com

05/07/2007

2/5

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Thomas Schlamme

Director

Holly Hunter

Carnelle Scott

Mary Steenburgen

Elain Rutledge

Tim Robbins

Delmount Williams

Alfre Woodard

Popeye Jackson

Scott Glenn

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Synopsis

Carnelle Scott (Holly Hunter) is a restless Mississippi girl looking for a life change. She decides to enter a beauty pageant, which her cousin Elain (Mary Steenburgen) had won years before. Despite a lack of support from those close to her, including conniving cousin Delmount (Tim Robbins), Carnelle remains determined. She enlists the help of a seamstress (Alfre Woodard) to outfit her for the competition, while rebuffing the advances of predatory men, as she aims to bring home the crown.

Director: Thomas Schlamme
Producer: Fred Berner
Screenwriter: Beth Henley
Production Co: Corsair Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $646.9K
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround

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