Our Weird Americana weekend kicks off with this sleeper mockumentary classic, directed by The State’s Michael Patrick Jann and boasting supporting turns from Alison Janney, Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams in her screen debut.

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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