Little Miss Sunshine
Screenplay written by: Michael Arndt
Actors: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin,
Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano
Directed by: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Rated: R (For language and some sex and drug content)
Little Miss Sunshine
Screenplay written by: Michael Arndt
Actors: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano
Directed by: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Rated: R (For language and some sex and drug content)
Olive Hoover, a pudgy 10-year-old with a hopelessly optimistic dimpled smile and oversized glasses, has gone into a fantasy world of happy perfection. In her dysfunctional American family, dreaming of winning glorious beauty pageants is a wonderful escape. With a father (Greg Kinnear) who fails at peddling the schemes for success he constantly preaches, a brother (Paul Dano) who perseveres in not talking for months in demonstration of his commitment to become a pilot, a compassionate porn-loving grandfather (Alan Arkin) who experiments with drugs, a suicidal uncle (Steve Carell), and a mother (Toni Collette) who enables them all – Olive needs to cling to those hopes and fantasies.
Then, one day, the miraculous call comes that her application to compete for Little Miss Sunshine has been accepted. For once, the quirky Hoovers decide to focus on Olive’s needs and load into the family’s unreliable V.W. bus for a westerly trek through the Southwest destined for the beauty contest for little girls in Redondo Beach, Calif. With long odds against her, Olive’s sweetly naive spirit to compete against other 10-year-olds that are already veteran competitors reminds everyone that her journey is what is important, as is, everyone’s.
He Said:
Not just another on-the-road vacation movie, Little Miss Sunshine was a pitch-perfect expose of an entertaining dysfunctional family that struck an unusually charming note. When there are seriously touching scenes that pull at your heartstrings and make you want to laugh aloud at the same time, you know that the film has succeeded in delivering a special combination. Besides the great script and strong performances by all, the combination of the natural feeling in the writing and direction made this film a special one. It stood so far above the other movies offered this summer that I’d recommend this uncommonly entertaining film to anyone and know that you’ll be glad you saw it.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
9 for script: Uncommonly sensitive and funny.
8 for direction
8 for acting
8 for plot
8 for entertainment Value
8.2 overall
She Said:
Combining the quirky antics the likes of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with the sheer humanity reminiscent of “Sideways,” the Hoovers’ trip from Albuquerque through the natural environment of the Southwest to the artificiality of the surreal Little Miss Sunshine Contest in Southern California provided an effective backdrop for this drama/comedy and its contrasts. Through the innocence of Olive’s dreams and her unwavering hope to live them, the peculiar characters and the tender well-crafted script metaphorically reminded us of proverbial truths in life’s lessons. While being treated to truly intuitive acting, writing and direction, subtle reminders are woven in – such as to be careful what we wish for and that the true meaning of success is not formulaic but rather a very individual thing. Little Miss Sunshine is a quietly satisfying, satirical, and wonderful film that combined drama and comedy so well that I hope many will delight in it.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
9 for script: Uniquely honest, and insightful.
9 for direction: Delivered undiluted drama and humor.
9 for acting: Everyone, so very good.
9 for plot: Curiously obscure, endearing, and human.
10 for entertainment value: The best this season.
9.5 overall
