Miss Firecracker (1989)

In the quaint yet judgmental town of Yazoo City, Mississippi, resides Carnelle Scott, a young woman carrying the weight of her past and the dreams of a brighter future. Orphaned at a young age, Carnelle was raised in the shadow of her older cousins, the seemingly flawless Elain and the temperamental Delmount Williams. Constantly seeking acceptance and validation, Carnelle finds herself trapped in a life devoid of genuine friendships and clouded by the town's scornful whispers. Her heart's beacon of hope? The coveted title of the local Miss Firecracker beauty pageant - a symbol of status and validation once clinched by her cousin Elain. As Carnelle steps onto the path laced with glitz, glamour, and a chance to escape her small-town life, she paints herself in hues of red, a vibrant homage to Elain's victorious past. The once victorious Elain, however, is now a mirage of perfection, with her dream life revealing cracks as she prepares to leave her affluent husband, Franklin Rutledge. Meanwhile, Delmount, fresh out of a mental institution, returns to Yazoo City with plans to sell their childhood house, hoping to provide both him and Carnelle an escape from their shared past. As the beauty pageant draws near, Carnelle finds an unlikely ally in the shy seamstress Popeye Jackson, whose needle and thread promise to stitch together more than just Carnelle's pageant attire. As Carnelle navigates through the trials of the pageant and the tribulations of her life, she may just uncover a profound truth: the pursuit of external perfection and validation may not hold the key to happiness she had once thought. Embarking on this transformative journey, Carnelle might just discover that the real victory lies not in the shimmering tiara of the Miss Firecracker pageant, but in the resilience of her spirit and the essence of her character.

Miss Firecracker is a comedy movie featuring Holly Hunter.

Miss Firecracker is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Crackle, Freevee, Kanopy, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Plex, Plex Player, Shout! Factory TV, The Roku Channel and Tubi TV and it's also available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel and fuboTV.