In theaters

MISS CONGENIALITY 2: ARMED AND FABULOUS, directed by John Pasquin, written by Marc Lawrence, 100 minutes, rated PG-13.

The new Sandra Bullock movie, “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous,” would undoubtedly like to be considered absolutely fabulous, but I’m afraid it doesn’t live up to its title. “Armed with a Few Laughs” would come closer to the mark.

“Amputated by a Weak Script” would nail it.

The film is a sequel to 2000’s “Miss Congeniality,” a slight, funny comedy in which Bullock’s mannish FBI agent Gracie Hart was forced to tart herself up in order to thwart a terrorist plot at the Miss United States pageant.

The running joke was that gruff, graceless Gracie could only do her job if she competed in the pageant, which demanded the sort of refinery and polished beauty that seemed out of Gracie’s reach.

The film worked because of Bullock’s go-for-broke charm, which is infectious, the reasonably witty script, and the fine supporting cast, which included Candice Bergen, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine and William Shatner.

This time out, Bergen, Bratt and Caine have gone missing, which sounds like a mistake because it is a mistake. Still, there is Shatner, who is in rare form here, and also there is Regina King of “Ray” as Gracie’s FBI nemesis Sam Fuller, a brooding woman with a nasty left hook who brings to the movie the edge it needs, particularly in Bergen’s absence.

As directed by John Pasquin from a script by Marc Lawrence, the action picks up three weeks after the last movie left off, with Gracie reeling after being dumped by her beau, Eric Matthews, and having to conquer several new challenges in her life, such as sudden fame and her own ego.

As the new, fresh-faced posterchild for the FBI, this Gracie has assistants to tend to her clothes, hair and makeup, a best-selling book based on her life, a thriving career on the talk-show circuit, fans to spare, and no time for the little people.

It’s a stretch to believe that our Gracie could become so self-involved so quickly, and the movie suffers from the disconnect. Still, the story picks up when the winner of the Miss United States pageant (Heather Burns) and its emcee (Shatner) are kidnapped by a group of thugs demanding a ransom. It’s an event that leads Gracie and her glittering entourage to Las Vegas, where she and Sam must enter a drag act in full regalia so they can get to the bottom of the case.

There are problems here, starting with the losses of Bergen, whose pluck is missed, and Michael Caine, who has been replaced by a ridiculously gay stereotype played by Dietrich Bader. The movie also is too long, with a sweet-as-soot closing manufactured to put dimples in our cheeks. It doesn’t. Thanks to the obvious telegraphing, you know this is exactly how the film will end.

Still, Bullock is Bullock and that’s almost enough. Along with King, she’s working hard here, pressing against mediocrity to create a worthwhile diversion for her fans. They’ll appreciate the effort.

Grade: C+

On video and DVD

VERA DRAKE, written and directed by Mike Leigh, 125 minutes, rated R.

Set in North London in 1950, Mike Leigh’s “Vera Drake” stars Imelda Staunton as Vera, a cheerful woman who cleans the homes of the rich, yet who lives in a world that smacks of Dickens.

As played by Staunton in one of last year’s best performances, Vera is a small, sturdy-looking woman who takes care of a demanding family that loves her, and tends to an ailing mother who needs her more than she’d like to admit.

Vera is the life of the picture, which is ironic since a good deal of her time is spent performing secret, backstreet abortions on women “who have gotten themselves in trouble.”

It’s something her family knows nothing about, especially her mechanic husband, Stan (Philip Davis), who considers his wife to be a “diamond, that one.” But since the best diamonds don’t reveal their flaws easily, Vera’s flaw has long remained hidden. For the better part of 20 years, she has been living a lie.

This excellent film takes an irrevocable turn when Vera is arrested by the police after one of her abortions goes wrong. When she is caught, the police learn that she has performed hundreds of abortions for free. She does so because she knows that the women who come to her seeking an abortion have financial means as meager as her own. They can’t afford the luxury of a private clinic, as the daughter of Vera’s employer can, so Vera performs the abortions herself.

Obviously, audiences will be divided about “Vera Drake.” Some will see her as a saint, others as the face of evil, and others still will see her as Leigh does – complex and human, a good woman with a good heart who believes she is doing the right thing yet who is rendered still the moment the law slams her life shut.

Leigh never moralizes here; he simply allows the events to unravel and reveal themselves to Vera, to her family, and to us. For Staunton, this allows for a performance that becomes almost purely physical. So stunned and ashamed is Vera by her situation, words and movement become a near impossibility.

It’s her eyes that reveal the truth of what she is feeling, and that truth is devastating.

Grade: A

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, and are archived at RottenTomatoes.com. He may be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.