Anyone who says there's no such thing as "perfect" must not have seen the popular 2000s comedy Miss Congeniality.
If they had seen it, they'd know that perfection does exist, in the form of a date on all of our calendars: April 25.
Now, before I explain why you shouldn't have a single criticism about this fine spring day, or why you likely see Miss Congeniality screenshots flood social media every April, it's crucial to give a brief rundown of the movie.
Why is April 25 the perfect date?
Miss Congeniality, directed by Donald Petrie, stars Sandra Bullock as Gracie Hart, an FBI Agent who goes undercover as a Miss United States contestant to investigate terror threats against the pageant. Bullock stars alongside a stacked cast that includes Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine, William Shatner, and Candice Bergen. But the real Miss Congeniality shoutout goes to Heather Burns, who played a character named Cheryl Frasier.
Frasier, aka Miss Rhode Island, stole the spotlight in the Q&A portion of the Miss United States pageant. Instead of detailing her ideal romantic night out or saying something predictable like "dinner and a movie," when asked to describe her perfect date, Frasier replied, "That's a tough one. Um, I'd have to say April 25th, because it's not too hot, [and] not too cold. All you need is a light jacket." Icon.
For those wondering why April 25 was the date chosen for this script out of all 366 days of the year (we count Leap Day because it's respectful), the answer lies in a tweet from Shatner, and it's cute as hell.
Here's the deal: On April 25, 2019, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt tagged Shatner in a commemorative "perfect date" tweet.
Tweet may have been deleted
Shatner quote-tweeted JGL and said, "I’ll tell you why: it's the birthday of the wife of the director of #MissCongeniality. So her birthday is memorialized in the film forever!"
"Isn't that just adorbs?" Shatner continued. "Use this factoid at your next cocktail party; you'll be a hit!!" True and true!
Tweet may have been deleted
In a 2021 interview with E! News, Miss Congeniality director Donald Petrie confirmed the factoid and revealed that the line, written by screenwriter Marc Lawrence, originally included a different date. "I just said, 'Could it be April 25th? That's my wife's birthday,'" Petrie said. "So I'm very happy that each year on her birthday, there are all these memes going about."
There you have it, folks. The true story behind the April 25 inclusion makes the date even better. Though I may be a bit biased, because April 25 is — wait for it — my birthday, too. Yes, really! I've been impatiently awaiting my big reveal this whole time.
Some might say I was born to grow up, become a writer, and type this very article, because who better to bring you April 25 news than someone who came into this very world on the perfect date? Something few people know is that I was actually due on April 24, but I waited a day, because I had a feeling April 25 would be perfect. And I was right.
Petrie's wife and I aren't the only people born on the perfect date. Actors Jonathan Bailey (the Anthony Bridgerton), Al Pacino, Renée Zellweger, and Gina Torres share an April 25 birthday, along with legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. Plus, How I Met Your Mother's (fictional) Ted Mosby and Gilmore Girls' (fictional) Lorelai Gilmore have April 25 birthdays, too. Amazing, I know!
Hilarious movies like Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Baby Mama (2008) were released on April 25, and the date also marks National Telephone Day, National DNA Day, National Lingerie Day, and Zucchini Bread Day. What more proof do you need? April 25 is the perfect date.
Why did April 25 become a meme?
Now that you've seen Shatner's explanation, it's clear why the date was worthy of a Miss Congeniality shoutout. But you might still be wondering why people post about April 25 every single year. I've been celebrating the date since 1993 for personal reasons, but dedicated fans of the film have been annually commemorating the date since the movie's release in 2000. The reasoning is simple: Tradition!
The Miss Rhode Island quote is the film's most memorable, and recalling it every year is a perfect way for fans to honor Miss Congeniality. The quote will always be topical in Taurus season; everyone loves a good made-up holiday; and it's also just plain fun to share an inside joke with so many people online. It's why we celebrate Mean Girls Day every Oct. 3, post Justin Timberlake "It's gonna be May" memes every April 30, and share 30 Rock "Lemon, it's Wednesday" screenshots and Russian Doll "Thursday, what a concept!" screenshots on Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively.
Knowyourmeme.com claims that screenshots of the Miss Congeniality scene have been circulating on social media since at least 2012. Over the years, the exchange between Shatner and Burns' characters has inspired its share of memes, which have featured everyone from Chris Evans to Beyoncé.
Miss Rhode Island's influence.
How's the weather on April 25, really?
On every birthday invitation I sent out in college, I wrote, "Dress code: All you need is a light jacket." But is that true? Obviously, April 25 weather fluctuates every year, and whether it's "not to hot and not too cold" depends on where you live. But because of global warming, Frasier's favorite day could be getting less perfect with each passing year.
In a 2017 article, Time spoke with meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky, who said, "Everything is warming overall more quickly across the country. Spring days are coming much earlier." While Placky was certain that light jacket weather would still arrive at some point, she predicted it would start arriving earlier and earlier in time, and by the time we reached April 25, we might not even need a light jacket.
The April 25, 2022, forecast for Connecticut predicts a low of 46 and a high of 57, which feels like some solid light jacket potential to me. Be sure to check your local weather for your personalized forecast, and when in doubt, just spend your April 25 inside, rewatching Miss Congeniality.
Miss Congeniality is now streaming on HBO Max.
