The film explored the behind-the-scenes dramas and realities of the 34th Miss Gay America Contest held in 2004.

[1] While some reviewers, such as Martin Tsai from The Village Voice felt that the film only skimmed along the surface insanity saying that "filmmakers Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern-Fingerhut's treatment is only skin-deep, eschewing any exploration of gender politics or psychological effects induced by the ubiquitous ugly-duckling-turned-swan narrative.

"[2] Other reviewers such as Nathan Lee in the New York Times felt that it was "not without its charm, and it's touching, in a goofy sort of way, to see how seriously everyone takes it.

"[3] George Williamson in An Eye for Film described it as "... an entertaining portrait of some wonderfully larger than life characters, a mind blowing amount of effort and an incredible desire to win.

"[4] Michael Klemm from Cinemaqueer recommended it saying "If you just want a good time, you can't go wrong with Pageant.