Misbehaviour is a 2020 British comedy-drama film directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Keeley Hawes, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Manville, Rhys Ifans, Greg Kinnear, Charlotte Spencer, Emma Corrin and Emma D'Arcy.
In 1970, a group of women involved in the Women's Liberation Movement hatches a plan to invade the stage and disrupt the live broadcast at the Miss World competition in London, resulting in overnight fame for the newly-formed organization. When the show resumes, the results causes an uproar, turning the Western ideal of beauty on its head.
Misbehaviour provides examples of the following tropes:
- The '70s: The film is set in 1970. The Vietnam War is still ongoing and we're in the middle of Second Wave Feminism.
- Beauty Contest:
- Bob Hope brings Miss World 1969 winner Eva Rueber-Staier on stage with him to entertain US soldiers in Vietnam.
- The Women's Liberation Movement seeks to hijack the Miss World 1970 contest for a statement.
- Family Versus Career: Sally left school at 15 because it "didn't foster academic ambitions". "Preparedness for marriage" clearly wasn't her cup of tea. Though she still married and had a baby, then divorced. Her new boyfriend helps her with her daughter so she can concentrate on her academic (and militant) career otherwise.
- Glamorous Wartime Singer: The film opens on footage of Bob Hope (played by Greg Kinnear) entertaining US troops in Vietnam. He isn't so glamorous in himself but he invites a Miss World winner on the stage, Eva Rueber-Staier.
- Good Parents: Sally loves her daughter, and her new boyfriend takes good care of her as well.
- Historical Figures in Archival Media: Some real shots of US soldiers attending a show of Bob Hope are mixed with those of extras and Greg Kinnear in the footage at the beginning.