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HBO Documentary: MISS YOU CAN DO IT

by Jef Dinsmore
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Overview: One special weekend every year, the small Illinois town of Kewanee turns into a place of celebration and delight, as the annual Miss You Can Do It pageant spotlights young girls with disabilities from around the country.  Abbey Curran, Miss Iowa 2008, started the pageant in 2004 to offer these girls, who like herself have special needs, the opportunity to be celebrated for their inner beauty and spirit. Directed and produced by Ron Davis (“Pageant”), MISS YOU CAN DO IT tells Curran’s story and follows eight heroic young girls with physical and mental disabilities as they participate in the pageant.

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This film highlights the extraordinary work Curran is doing with the pageant she founded. Curran and a team of enthusiastic volunteers give participants a chance to be celebrated for all they are inside, not just defined by what the world sees on the outside. For one special weekend the young girls, along with family and friends, some who have traveled far distances, spend time in an oasis of fun, femininity and celebration. No one leaves the pageant empty-handed, with each girl receiving a special award. The real winners of the pageant might be the families and friends, who proudly cheer them on from the audience.

Expectations: It will be nice for a change to see a documentary that should leave you feeling the more positive emotions we are imbued with. Documentaries can take many approaches; it is often the darker side of the world that raises the strongest emotions in us and those types of documentaries seem the most impactful for it but, the positive uplifting topics out there are just as a part of us as well and are just as important too.

Though I understand the basic premise of this 75-minute film I hope to get a bit more out of it. I got the ‘what’ now I want to understand the ‘how’ of it and, most importantly, the “why’ of the Miss You Can Do It pageant. I also hope for an emotional paycheck out of it. I want to be refreshed, as it were, with a rewarding look at a niche of society doing something positive, reaching out and helping those who need to feel valued. That is what a good positive documentary is supposed to do. It is to let you know that there are good situations and people out there. Here is hoping I feel that with the HBO Documentary Film: MISS YOU CAN DO IT.

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Gut Reaction:  Brava, Abbey Currans! You are giving value to these young girl’s lives and it is nice to see. You, know, I was sort of missing the mark with my expectations on this film. Though it does spend time explaining ‘how’ this pageant developed and ‘why’ Miss Currans brought it about it is the ‘who’ that matters here.

You would think that maybe, the “who” in focus is Abbey herself, her disability and her family life and what drove her to create the Miss You Can Do It pageant but, you’d be wrong. Though she does get her accolades the majority of the attention focuses, just as the pageant does, on the young girls. That the pageant exists and all is nice but, what lingers is the contestants themselves. This documentary is filled with pretty smiles and dresses, proud parents and giddy girls. Yes, there are moments of teary-eyed parents and explanations of disabilities but you are not swallowed up by them as the positive elements still dominate the piece. There are some charismatic and bright and soulful youngsters about and they are all living their lives to the best of their abilities and that is a beauty to behold.

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In Conclusion: I was touched by the project and the tone this documentary set. One lingering image I will share takes place at the beginning of the film before the title credits even appear. It is the shots of some of the contestants as they appear from behind a wall of glittery streamers and their faces instantly light up. That was beauty in itself. It was indeed a feel-good moment and a feel-good documentary, even though my favorite did not win the title of Queen. She did win 1st Runner-Up though!

People who make a difference are important; people who are different need valued. I hope you find time to take in the HBO Documentary Film: MISS I CAN DO IT.

Additional airdates on HBO are: 06.27 at 11:30am; 06.30 at 8:30am; 07.02 at 1:30pm and 07.06 at 3:00pm. On HBO2 find it on 06.26 at 8:00pm; 06.28 at 5:15pm; 07.09 at 11:35pm; 07.25 at 7:40am and 07.28 at 8:40am and also on HBOGo.

 

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11 comments

Jocelyn January 29, 2014 - 5:12 am

6am and I need to be asleep but this documentary is soooo Amazing!!

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Cheryl Valdebenito November 10, 2013 - 10:31 am

Couldn’t hold back the tears, they just happened each time some wonderful tidbit was shared. Love-ly & inspiring documentary, thank you.

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Steve Ellis September 11, 2013 - 5:35 am

This documentary is wonderful. It is one of the most moving productions I have ever watched. It truly inspired me. We need more of its kind, and more people with the hearts and minds of Abbey Curran. Thanks so much for sharing this story.

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Jacob Klein July 16, 2013 - 9:39 pm

Had to hold tears back from the wife!
I manned up for this one. Sad, touching and inspiring.

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J. Ross July 16, 2013 - 3:05 pm

I was finally able to watch this yesterday. Great stuff!

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Eleonora Iafano July 2, 2013 - 7:52 pm

Jef, I will pass this documentary along to friends, family & colleagues. One day, I hope to do something special for those children and give them an opportunity to shine! :) Until then, I will be posting this article on my FB page and Twitter feed! Thank you, Jef, for writing this article.

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Jef Dinsmore July 2, 2013 - 5:29 pm

As I have mentioned before there are a number of approaches a documentary can take. One of the most powerful kind are of those ones that showcase someone making a difference in this world. One of the cool ideas behind this one is that Abbey Currans is not trying to pat herself on the back – the film isn’t about her but about the young ladies of her pageant.

I’m glad it touched you; now pay it forward and do this in Canada Eleonora!

Have you watched it yet MJ?

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Eleonora Iafano July 2, 2013 - 3:57 pm

Jef: I’m going to send you the bill for all of my kleenex! What a bittersweet, poignant documentary! This is close to my heart, as my ultimate role is to be a Special Education teacher in a few years. :)

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Eleonora Iafano July 2, 2013 - 1:46 pm

MJ – having the tissue box nearby is a very good idea. I’m going to highly recommend this to my friends & family members on Twitter and FB. :)

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MJ Snow July 1, 2013 - 8:41 am

I haven’t gotten a chance to watch this yet, but what a wonderful idea. I’ll check this out soon, for sure. I have a feeling I should have a box of tissues ready…

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Eleonora Iafano June 28, 2013 - 2:53 am

Jef, I am totally going to check this out. I have taught students with special needs (and hope in a few years to have my own classroom as a Special Education teacher) so this article really spoke to me. I can’t wait to watch this! Finally, something that girls who feel they are “on the outside looking in” can fully participate in!

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