This adaptation of beth henleys play the miss firecracker contest abounds with idiosyncratic detail and such familiar henley ingredients as family. Holly hunter has her miss firecracker character down to the proverbial t. This boisterous and bold dark comedy, a true beth henley play, explores human nature through the slightly largerthanlife, and finds earnest humor and satire in many of the same places. She is a young girl trying to follow in her older sisters footsteps. This adaptation of beth henleys play the miss firecracker contest abounds with idiosyncratic detail and such familiar henley ingredients as family madness. Motion picture association of america rating definitions. In miss firecracker, the playwright beth henley has taken such a contest, the fourth of july pageant in yazoo city, miss. Beth henleys sly comedy about a gawky gal trying to shed her reputation as the town tramp by winning the miss firecracker contest bursts with eccentric characters that. The movie was also future oscar winner tim robbinss next gig after bolstering his rep with a knock.
Catherine dybiec holm, critical essay on the miss firecracker contest, in drama for. Unhappy carnelle scott holly hunter is desperate to escape her reputation as yazoo citys miss hot tamale. As the miss firecracker contest opens, carnelle scott is practicing her talent routine for the upcoming fourth of july beauty pageant in brookhaven, mississippi. Catherine dybiec holm, critical essay on the miss firecracker contest, in drama for students, thomson gale, 2005. This is not new material, but henley replaces some of the painful sincerity with.
Enjoy a rich lineup of tv shows and movies included with your prime. Holly hunter plays a mississippi girl whose sole reason for being is to enter. A seamstress, popeye jackson, arrives and carnelle hires her to make a pageant costume. The contest and hisper parentguardian will take full responsibility for and agree to release the freedom fest and its entities from all liability for any losses, damages, or debts. Poignant, daft miss firecracker the new york times. Scott glenn in miss firecracker 1989 holly hunter in miss firecracker 1989 mary. Miss firecracker similar films to watch if you like miss.
Carnelle hunter, an oversexed hellion who was orphaned as a young child, has always played second fiddle to her beautiful, older, southern belle cousin a past miss firecracker contest winner. The contest and hisper parentguardian will take full responsibility for and agree to. Jul 20, 2019 the miss firecracker contest, along with other beth henley plays, is characterized as a southern gothic. A fading beauty, elain has abandoned her rich husband and two.
Holly hunter as carnelle is absolutely perfect, while tim robbins as her possibly deranged first cousin delmar, and mary steenbergen as his beauty queen sister are equally good. Beth henleys sly comedy about a gawky gal trying to shed her reputation as the town tramp by winning the miss firecracker contest bursts with eccentric characters that define southern gothic. Miss firecracker 1989, directed by thomas schlamme film. Con tim robbins, mary steenburgen, scott glenn, holly hunter durata 103 min. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by movie quotes. The film begins when carnelle hears about a beauty contest known as the miss firecatcher contest coming to her locality of yazoo city and decides to register and take part in it. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing miss firecracker near you. 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. It stars holly hunter, mary steenburgen, tim robbins, alfre woodard, and scott glenn. Miss firecracker holly hunter mary steenburgen tim robbins 1989 an exflirt holly hunter wants to win the yazoo city, miss. Starring as contest hopeful carnelle scott is holly hunter, reprising the role she played in the play. An orphan taken in by her genteel relatives, she idolizes her older cousin, elain rutledge mary streenburgen, a former fourth of july miss firecracker contest winner who is taking time out from her life as a pampered wife in atlanta to give a speech on. Miss firecracker general discussions tcm message boards. Both charming and irreverent, the miss firecracker contest is a wistful take on southern beauty culture and the reallife facades it so eloquently symbolizes.
Miss firecracker 1989 carnelle isnt happy with her life, so in order to improve herself she enters a local beauty contest, trying to emulate her cousin elains. Jul 04, 2015 starring as contest hopeful carnelle scott is holly hunter, reprising the role she played in the play. 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. Miss firecracker 1989 carnelle isnt happy with her life, so in order to improve herself she enters a local beauty contest, trying to emulate her cousin elains win many years ago. The play is set in the small southern town of brookhaven, mississippi, and tells an archetypical story of a young woman trying to reinvent herself. Carnelle scott holly hunter is a catfishfactory worker in yazoo city, mississippi, who is known as the town slut. Milloy as executive producers, the movie is rated pg for language. Miss firecracker is a 1989 american comedy film directed by thomas schlamme. Miss firecracker 1989 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Atmospherically filmed by arthur albert on location, miss. Holly hunters hilarious scene in miss firecracker 1989. Firecracker is a huge cotton candy of a movie theres. The miss firecracker contest by beth henley keywords.
In addition to hunter, the movie also features wonderful performances by mary steenburgen as carnelles cousin elain, a former miss firecracker and alfre woodard as seamtress popeye jackson. Favorite tv show or movie favorite food favorite animal. Its the story of a real underdog told with a mix of pathos and humor. Jul 24, 1988 in comes carnelles other cousin, elain, a former miss firecracker with memories of riding on a float and wearing a crown on her head. July miss firecracker contest winner who is taking time out from her life as a pampered wife in atlanta. Miss firecracker quotes, movie quotes movie quotes. Carnelle, a hellraiser, enters the miss firecracker contest in the oldfashioned town where she was raised. Carnelles not the usual contestant, but her cousin is a famous winner, and carnelles determined to equal her, no matter what. Movie posters 1989 m miss firecracker miss firecracker 1989 carnelle isnt happy with her life, so in order to improve herself she enters a local beauty contest, trying to emulate her. To redeem her sordid past, she becomes obsessed with winning the local annual miss firecracker beauty pageant and hopes by winning she will earn a. Few think she can win, even her closest friends and relatives e.
Watch miss firecracker, the comedy by thomas schlamme fandor. The miss firecracker contest, along with other beth henley plays, is characterized as a southern gothic. Miss firecracker contest a story of unexpected love sun. Miss firecracker not a dud, but it misses key sad notes. While not a recent movie, miss firecracker is still one of the sweetest and most whimsical films ive ever seen.
A good movie with a good message for your kids about the important things in life. She looks up to her older sister and wants to win the miss firecracker contest and be like her. The movie was also future oscar winner tim robbinss next gig after bolstering his rep with a knockout performance, so to speak, in 1988s bull durham. The film entitled miss firecracker is a comedy centered on the adventures of a young lady known as carnelle who against all odds takes part in a beauty contest. Miss firecracker is the streamlined title of the film version of beth henleys play the miss firecracker contest. Miss firecracker 1989 an offbroadway play by beth henley became the 1989 film miss firecracker, joining a host of comedies that satirize the american character through its most eccentric citizens.
The miss firecracker contest summary act 1, scene 1 as the miss firecracker contest opens, carnelle scott is practicing her talent routine for the upcoming fourth of july beauty pageant in brookhaven, mississippi. It got a production at the manhattan theatre club offbroadway in 1984 directed by stephen tobolowsky, who was henleys romantic partner at the time. Down in yazoo city, mississippi the big event of the year is the july 4th miss firecracker beauty pageant. Every nuance, every glancing look tells us a great deal about carnelle, a young woman in a small mississippi town who. To redeem her sordid past, she becomes obsessed with winning the local annual miss firecracker beauty pageant and hopes by winning she will earn a ticket out of the deadend town. Miss firecracker is a 1989 comedy film directed by thomas schlamme.
The miss firecracker contest is a southern literature play written by beth henley. Produced by fred berner with lewis allen and ross e. With patriotic feel, gothic comedy and laughter at the most unexpected moments, dillard center for the arts the miss firecracker contest is a play. She wants to go from being miss hot tamale to miss firecracker.
In comes carnelles other cousin, elain, a former miss firecracker with memories of riding on a float and wearing a crown on her head. Personally, i enjoyed this movie about an offbeat woman who decides compete in the miss firecracker contest. Carnelle isnt happy with her life, so in order to improve herself she enters a local beauty contest, trying to emulate her cousin elains win many years ago. When the great alfre woodard is bad you know youre in for a long, slow ride. The miss firecracker contest, another henley play that was produced in 1980, was also made into a movie in 1989. Miss firecracker contest ending theatre season at ecu. In the small town of yazoo city, a desperate young woman grasps her last chance to make her dreams come true by entering the annual miss firecracker contest. The miss firecracker contest uses the themes of outer and inner appearances to guide these characters journeys toward a realization of true beauty. An orphan taken in by her genteel relatives, she idolizes her older cousin, elain rutledge mary streenburgen, a former fourth of july miss firecracker contest winner who is taking time out from her life as a pampered wife in atlanta to give a speech on my life as a beauty at this years pageant. The film, set in yazoo city, mississippi, was written by pulitzer prizewinning playwright beth henley and is based on her 1984 play, the miss firecracker contest. It moved to a larger offbroadway house, the westbank theater. Instead, the film, written by beth henley from her play the miss firecracker contest, is a superficial and sporadically witty piece aimed at. This is not new material, but henley replaces some.
Miss firecracker contest ending theatre season at ecu april 7, 2008 her reputation is just a bit tarnished shes called miss hot tamale, after all but carnelle scott has a plan to win the admiration of the townsfolk in her small mississippi community. Every nuance, every glancing look tells us a great deal about carnelle, a young. See more ideas about firecracker, brookhaven mississippi and mississippi. The plays popularity allowed for the production of miss firecracker, the film. Carnelle holly hunter enters the miss firecracker beauty pageant which her hometown of yazoo city, mississippi, stages every fourth of july. Jun 29, 2012 she followed broadcast news with the film version of the miss firecracker contest, simply retitled miss firecracker 1989.
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