Little Miss Sunshine

I get so disgusted with Indie films about deep characters that have no real personality. Everyone says that they're real because they suffer, when really it's the audience that suffers most. Movies are not supposed to take two hours of my life and leave me feeling vacant and hopeless. I want to spend those two hours with good people who are flawed, like those in my life I love most.

That's what Little Miss Sunshine has, and much more. In the beginning, you won't be sure whether you like anyone. By the end of the movie, you'll wish they were real so you could get to know them better. Their history and their dreams about the future. Bravo, Michael Arndt, for creating something truly memorable.

Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) is trying hold this crazy family together. Her brother Frank Ginsberg (Steve Carell) is just released after his suicide attempt. Her husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a bad motivational speaker who is always talking about winning except he's a loser himself. Her son Dwayne (Paul Dano) is tired of his family, and has vow to be silent. Grandpa Hoover (Alan Arkin) was kicked out of his nursing home for misbehaving. Finally daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) is so excited about getting into the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.

The reason this movie works is that I love these characters. I love everybody except for the dad. They are just so weirdly likable. They are the essence of an underdog story. I love this family, and it's not only for the cute little girl. I even love the VW van.

It is very rare to see a movie that can charm the hell out of an audience without the use of special effects, worn-out clichés and bombastic action set pieces these days. It's even more ridiculous to hope that you will see such a film for FREE. But that's exactly what happened to me tonight at a sneak preview of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.

I "discovered" this movie right here at IMDb, having heard not a peep about it beforehand. By the time I finished watching the second trailer for the THIRD time, I was floored...and hooked. Luckily, the Bulletin Boards steered me toward the proper link to access sneak passes for tonight's showing, and all I can say is that it will not pain me one bit to pay for the privilege of seeing this gem a second time.

Assembling the best and most unlikeliest of ensemble casts you may probably see all year, SUNSHINE on the face of it is a relatively (pun intended) simple story. Little seven-year-old Olive (Abigail Breslin) has one wish in life: to be considered for the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant in Redondo Beach, CA. When her big chance comes at the most unexpected time, it's up to her unbelievably fractured family to pull themselves together and make it happen for her, no matter what it takes.

And what it takes is a sad, painful, tragic and yet unendingly hilarious trek in a barely operational VW bus from Albequerque, NM to the Pageant. And although getting there is only half the fun and family drama, you have got to see what happens to believe it when they finally arrive and Olive gets to "do her thing." The strong cast sounds not a single false note, and when the more touching moments arrive, they don't seem forced the way they would in most other big-budget behemoths, because these moments are truly earned. But WHAT a collection of characters this is. Greg Kinnear is letter-perfect as Olive's judgmental, failed motivational-speaker father; Steve Carell finds new shades of darkest despair and human comedy as her suicidal gay uncle, a leading Proust scholar; Paul Dano does amazing things with little more than facial expressions as Olive's older brother who's deep into Nietzche and a vow of absolute silence, and Alan Arkin, though he has played this kind of role with both hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed, still shines like a crazy diamond as her cantankerous and hedonistic grandfather.

And barely holding this motley crew together is Toni Collette, who amazes by playing a mother again and yet manages not to portray the role exactly the same way, (you might recall her Oscar-nominated turn as Haley Joel Osment's put-upon mom in THE SIXTH SENSE.) I'm not at all familiar with the work of the two directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, or the writer, Michael Arndt, but they have definitely raised the indie film bar with this effort. Not a single moment is wasted; not a single scene is in this film without having a reason for being there, and it's all character-driven. There's also nothing fluffy about it - commentary about everything from how twisted our pop culture can be, to how our drive for being #1 winners can blind us to all of the things that are the most important are all there under the bittersweet laughs and tears for the audience to discover.

I can't recommend this one highly enough. And I can't wait to see it again.

Conjuring endless joy & heartwarming feels by bringing together an array of flawed characters, piling them all up in a Volkswagen van and sending them on a road trip, Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a dysfunctional family rediscovering themselves & each other over the course of their journey as they learn the importance of being together through the thick n thin and reforge their relationships.

Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris in what's their directorial debut, this is a sensibly written tragicomedy that right away acknowledges the flaws of the family members yet provides ample room for all of them to help each other grow & evolve. Each one is intriguing in their own ways, and their interactions have an organic feel to it as well, which only makes the drama all the more effective & entertaining.

The tone & treatment may be lighthearted but the story & characters packs enough dramatic weight & depth respectively and the filmmakers make sure both individual & collective on-screen efforts move things in the same direction, and the balance is sustained from start to finish. Performances are top-notch from everyone, including the young Abigail Breslin. And the climax brings the ride full circle with an amusing, uplifting & cathartic sequence.

Overall, Little Miss Sunshine is a wonderful amalgamation of skilful direction, smart writing & heartfelt performances that promises a pleasant time to all its viewers and delivers it in spades. An impressive & promising debut for its directing duo, it is one hell of a roller-coaster ride that treats its characters' imperfections with compassion & understanding, and is effortlessly elevated by honest inputs from its committed & talented cast. Absolutely worth your time & money.

I am still shocked that this film wasn't nominated for direction at the Oscars and that it lost best picture to the overwrought The Departed. This is film captures far more of life as lived in single scenes than most films capture in their entire runtime. It is not just the great script that has great comedic bits and utterly real characters. It's not just the pitch perfect cast. This is a great *visual* film as well because of the traveling scenes and the quirky design sense.

The direction is extremely tight. Whether it is how the opening dinner sequence delineates character and their relationships-via clothing and seating arrangements-economically or how they kept the interior of the van visually fresh the film is filled with splendid and meaningful images. I think the script and the acting are so good that people just didn't notice the visual niceties the film captures. There's even a couple of hard jokes to land-i.e. Porn in the trunk-that the directors managed to make work far better than the story beat does on the page.

I think the film's theme around the cruelty of the rat race and the insane pressure we put on ourselves because of "competition" land better in 2022. Maybe I am just getting older but Richard is a bit of an jerk who did need to learn to chill. I like that the film isn't anti-competition per se but encourages us to keep things in perspective.