Smile

Thirty-three teenage pageant winners travel to Santa Rosa to begin the process. They are assigned to local host families and briefed by Brenda DiCarlo, with Big Bob Freelander serving as head judge. The arrival establishes the pageant’s social dynamics and the power structure surrounding the event.

Big Bob’s son, Little Bob, pores over contestant applications and evaluates the contestants' figures. He plots with friends to photograph the girls in various states of undress, signaling the movie’s voyeuristic undercurrents. The scheming foreshadows the corruption simmering beneath the pageant’s sparkling surface.

Los Angeles choreographer Tommy French is introduced to the contestants and begins teaching dance routines. Producer Wilson Shears clashes with him, creating tension behind the scenes. The rehearsal period frames the contrast between showbiz glamour and harsh production realities.

The girls perform interviews for the judging panel, revealing ambitions, backgrounds, and personalities. These interviews help determine how the contestants will be perceived on stage. The process heightens the audience's investment in the pageant’s outcome.

While the girls shower in the auditorium locker rooms, Little Bob snaps photos through a window. Wilson intervenes and forces him to surrender the photographs to a police officer. The incident underscores the intrusion of prying eyes and the breach of consent at the pageant.

At the Thursday preliminary show, Robin Gibson is one of three winners, signaling a potential standout. Her roommate Doria Houston offers practical advice on how to excel, like adjusting her smile with Vaseline on her teeth. The scene emphasizes preparation, mentorship, and the quest for the crown.

The next morning, Big Bob takes Little Bob to a psychiatrist, seeking to understand his son’s curiosity. Dr. H. Malvert reassures that Little Bob’s behavior is exploratory rather than pathological. This moment tries to normalize youthful curiosity amidst broader moral panic.

During a pageant performance, several contestants sabotage Maria Gonzales’s patriotic routine by damaging stage sets. The act of sabotage raises the stakes and reveals competitive tensions backstage. The incident adds a sharp, chaotic note to the competition.

Andy visits the Jaycee chapter meeting but aborts the initiation rite. When he returns home, he gets into an argument with Brenda and shoots her, grazing her shoulder. The violence confronts the fragile veneer of the pageant world and its domestic fallout.

The following morning, Big Bob goes to visit Andy in jail to offer moral support and defend American values. Andy insults him, accusing him of speaking like a Young American Miss. The scene highlights fractured family dynamics and the consequences of the crisis.

The pageant becomes more expensive than anticipated, forcing Wilson to pressure Tommy to remove a ramp to free seating. Doria is injured when the change is made, and Tommy agrees to reinstate the ramp and cover the difference out of his fee. The backstage drama shows the cost of spectacle.

Big Bob arrives for the final night of the pageant, where Brenda still attends despite her shoulder injury. His presence reinforces the authority of the pageant’s organizers. The atmosphere is tense as the contestants await the final judging.

Miss Fountain Valley Shawn Christianson, an outsider, unexpectedly wins the state title after final judging. Her victory challenges expectations and expands the perceived boundaries of the pageant. The moment caps the competitive arc with a surprising outcome.

The morning after the pageant, Robin passes by Big Bob’s RV lot while Big Bob tries to sell an RV. The scene juxtaposes ordinary sales with the pageant’s pervasive undercurrents. This turn hints at unresolved ambitions among the contestants.

In a patrol car nearby, the officer who confiscated Little Bob’s photos stares at a full-frontal nude photo of Karen Love, Miss Simi Valley. The image ties the surveillance, secrecy, and exploitation thread to a broader national gaze on beauty campaigns. The final moment lingers on the moral costs of the pageant world.