We rewatched ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ to unearth what’s good, what’s bad & what should stay dead forever
Purple ketchup. And stanning Justin Timberlake. But what about the film, Drop Dead Gorgeous? Released a quarter of a century ago this week (hehe, feel old yet?), the 1999 mockumentary stars Kirsten Dunst as Amber, a girl who yearns to win the local pageant and use the scholarship money to leave her humble hometown behind.
But things quickly turn deadly as her fellow contestants start dropping like flies.Though initially panned by critics upon its release, Drop Dead Gorgeous has since become a cult classic–beloved by queers and outsiders alike.
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.To celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, Queerty rewatched Drop Dead Gorgeous–particularly through a 2024 lens–to unbury what held up, what didn’t, and what about the movie should stay dead and never, ever be resurrected… What could possibly go wrong!?!Drop Dead Gorgeous is so distinctly different from other films of its time, to the point where it’s literally in a beautiful league of its own (see what we did there?).
Unlike movies such as She’s All That, Never Been Kissed and 10 Things I Hate About You–which basically told the story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, blah blah blah– Drop Dead Gorgeous told a refreshingly unique story, opting out of romance in favor of satire and unapologetically dark humor.
