Little Miss Sunshine

(2006)

Directed by

Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton

Review by Todd Plucknett

Little Miss Sunshine is a delightful independent comedy directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. It is full of brilliant characters that are superbly cast. It is a great film, and one that almost anyone will enjoy.

The movie centers on the Hoover family. Olive (Abigail Breslin) won a city-wide beauty contest in Albuquerque, and she was slated to compete in the regional contest in Redondo Beach, California. Dwayne (Paul Dano) is her brother. He is taking a vow of silence until he reaches his goal of getting into the Air Force. The parents are Sheryl (Toni Collette) and Richard (Greg Kinnear). Richard is a man with a motivational 9 step program that he has put way too much time into trying to sell. The uncle is Frank (Steve Carell), a gay scholar who recently tried to kill himself. The scene-stealing grandfather is Edwin (Oscar-winner Alan Arkin), a heroine smoking man who taught Oliver her dance routine for the contest. The entire family reluctantly leaves in their old yellow VW van, which has serious mechanical problems. It really becomes like a character throughout the film.

On the way to California, everything seems to be going wrong. Richard cannot get his program sold. Frank runs into some people he knows in unfortunate circumstances. Dwayne comes to a tragic realization. Edwin is clashing with all the other family members. Sheryl is trying to sustain some sanity, and Olive is self-conscious about her beauty. Oh yeah, and the van needs a push start after every stop. All this evolves into a hilarious and smart family vacation film.

The acting by this ensemble cast is the best part of the film. Kinnear is totally believable as the loser that he has played before. It is his best performance in years. Arkin won an Oscar for his role. He essentially was playing another variation of himself, but that is never a bad thing. Dano gave perhaps the film’s best performance. His role was almost entirely facial expressions, and he absolutely nailed it. Some of the most touching moments in the film involved his character. Carell gave a very funny and heartfelt performance in this. The scenes with him and Dano are when the film is at its best. Breslin was nominated for her brilliant performance. She is one young actress that really understands emotion and how acting is supposed to be. The future for this girl is extremely bright. Collette is great in her role, but is overshadowed by the other characters. The first screenplay for Oscar-winner Michael Arndt is wonderful. It takes a premise that has been used countless times, and it is able to make it fresh and appealing. For that, I applaud Mr. Arndt.

The film for the most part is just a great experience. It falters a bit at the end with the cliché moral, but it is acceptable because of how well the film leads up to it. The final scenes at the Little Miss Sunshine contest are impossible not to break up laughing at. You will most likely be roaring at that point. The film is also one that you will come to appreciate more on multiple viewings. It is a great little film, and when you look back on it, you will almost certainly smile.

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