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Smile

Smile

Comedy · 1975

It's time again for California's "Young American Miss" beauty pageant, the biggest event of the year for Big Bob Freelander and Brenda DiCarlo, who give their all to put on a successful pageant. But Brenda is having marital difficulties and Bob's son is up to some mischief. Could this year's pageant be in jeopardy?

Movie details

Smile

“This beauty pageant's about to get ugly.”

1975 Comedy 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

It's time again for California's "Young American Miss" beauty pageant, the biggest event of the year for Big Bob Freelander and Brenda DiCarlo, who give their all to put on a successful pageant. But Brenda is having marital difficulties and Bob's son is up to some mischief. Could this year's pageant be in jeopardy?

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Smile?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Brain Donors

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The Mouse That Roared

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Impractical Jokers: The Movie

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Michael Ritchie

Written by

Jerry Belson

Bruce Dern

Bruce Dern

Big Bob

Barbara Feldon

Barbara Feldon

Brenda

Michael Kidd

Michael Kidd

Tommy French

Geoffrey Lewis

Geoffrey Lewis

Wilson

Nicholas Pryor

Nicholas Pryor

Andy

Joan Prather

Joan Prather

Robin

Denise Nickerson

Denise Nickerson

Shirley

Court is in session

Put Smile on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Big-Idea Head

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.