When a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant, a tomboy undercover agent (Sandra Bullock) must convince America she is a beauty queen, or risks bringing the pageant world and the FBI into disrepute.

Where lazier comedies can immediately feel like relics of a bygone era (Champagne Problems anyone?), this 2000 caper has aged with beauty and grace, still drop-dead funny and charming after 25 years. This has much to do with its witty and big-hearted sense of humour, the jokes never coming at the expense of a group or individual, but built around the story and characters that take centre stage.

This doesn’t stop Miss Congeniality from scoring big laughs out of the institution of beauty pageants with their meaningless refrain of world peace, but it depicts the contestants themselves as more lifelike than their usual air-headed media portrayals. Equally it explores the inverse sexism levelled at Special Agent Gracie Hart (Bullock) for not conforming to female stereotypes, and subverts the traditional makeover trope by not suddenly realising Hart’s femininity, but by recognising the folly of judging people on gendered characteristics.

The film walks a high-heeled balancing act between action and comedy, while remaining as charmingly rough around the edges as Hart herself; a disarmingly human protagonist brought to life by Bullock’s hilarious physical performance and expert comic timing. Michael Caine is also fun as the Henry Higgins character tasked with transforming Hart into a beauty queen, and William Shatner perfectly cast as the old-school pageant host who never appears to know what’s going on.

Miss Congeniality is a feminist icon, a makeover movie with a point, and the quintessential pageant flick (sorry Little Miss Sunshine), even if it never reaches the comic heights of Miss Teen USA in 2007. Some moments are simply beyond satire.