Screenplay:
Michael ArndtCinematography:
Tim SuhrstedtComposer:
Mychael DannaCast:
Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Beth Grant, Dean Norris, Wallace Langham, Geoff Meed, Mary Lynn Rajskub (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is desperately trying to sell his motivational success program... with no success. Meanwhile, "pro-honesty" mom Sheryl (Toni Collette) lends support to her eccentric family, including her depressed brother (Steve Carell), fresh out of the hospital after being jilted by his lover. Then there are the younger Hoovers - the seven-year-old, would-be beauty queen Olive (Abigail Breslin) and Dwayne (Paul Dano), a Nietzsche-reading teen who has taken a vow of silence. Topping off the family is the foul-mouthed grandfather (Alan Arkin), whose outrageous behavior recently got him evicted from his retirement home. When Olive is invited to compete in the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant in far-off California, the family piles into their rusted-out VW bus to rally behind her - with riotously funny results. (20th Century Fox UK)
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Reviews (9)
This is the kind of classic inconspicuous film where interesting actors come together to play even more interesting roles. Mainly, Steve Carell fascinates me in such roles. It's fun, it's playful, sometimes it's quirky, occasionally hard to believe, but altogether it forms a great whole. And yet it's really "just" a road movie. It’s a beautiful example that something beautiful can have very diverse forms.
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A charming tragicomedy built on brilliant characters, an unconventional soundtrack, and some very emotional scenes. Basically, it's a kind of unassuming ode to life's losers, demonstrating in a very appealing way the contrast between the so-called "better or higher social class" and the "lower or worse social class". At the same time, it does not portray the "objectively weaker" as some kind of victims or inferior beings. Instead Little Miss Sunshine poignantly shows how, in such families so often faced with existential problems, there comes a certain point when its members become so much more capable of understanding each other and can stick together at the right moment. The final dance number is absolutely fabulous and captures in the truest sense what is called "the art of bringing down even the most deeply rooted conventions".
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Funny, intelligent, pleasantly paced, well acted, and scored with a magnificent soundtrack. While being an indie, it is accessible to everyone. In addition, it has a large dose of gradually built up sympathy for the individual characters, so in the end you care about them and have a hard time saying goodbye to them... Everything is as it should be and, moreover, in above-standard quality. UPDATE: After Little Miss Sunshine, you will be left with such a great feeling of well-being for much longer than after seeing any other picture recently, and the second viewing has the same effect. That's why I'm adding another *.
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A great mixture of comedy and drama about a very quirky family. The dad comes across as a real jerk, Peggy Bundy is an excellent cook compared to the mom, the grandpa is a heroin addict, the uncle a suicidal homosexual, and the kids follow their peculiar dreams. Against all odds, this near-dysfunctional family is brought together as they take chubby little Olive to a beauty pageant. I enjoyed the trip to California, Grandpa's awesome one-liners were the highlight of the car conversations, and even "mute" Dwayne was great. It was just becoming increasingly obvious what Olive's talent performance would be like. I found the beauty pageant itself a little baffling, suddenly there were all these little Terminators everywhere and I was surprised to find Olivia's performance the least creepy. Steve Carell played probably the most serious character in this film, and dmittedly, he was very good. I had a great time watching the film.
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A similar "sensation" as, for example, Sideways. Meaning a slightly bitter in places, but mostly reliable comedy, where either love adventures or family troubles are dealt with. The filmmakers cannot be denied a flair for situational humour and solid dialogue, as well as well-drawn characters, mostly well acted. It’s nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary for the genre, but it delivers solid entertainment with one American redneck family.
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