Little Miss Sunshine

U.S. Release Date: 8/4/06
Running Time: 1:40
Rated: R (Profanity, drug use)

Cast: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Screenplay: Michael Arndt
Music: Mychael Danna
Studio: Fox Searchlight

Tagged as the film that puts the “fun” in “dysfunctional,” Little Miss Sunshine is an entertaining and overall cute experience.  Throughout its running-time, the picture crescendos in its characters’ frustration and development.  By the end, you will appreciate its depth and humor, and view the 100 minutes invested as time well spent.

Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) dreams of winning the title of “Little Miss Sunshine”—the top prize at a California beauty pageant.  Her father, and lecturer on winners and losers, Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear), refuses to allow his daughter to not live out her dream.  That’s why, when the opportunity comes, Richard and family quickly seize the moment and hop into their yellow VW van for a cross-country trip.

Also supporting Olive is her suicidal, gay uncle Frank (Steve Carell), drug-addicted grandfather Edwin (Alan Arkin), silent, Air Force-bound brother Dwayne (Paul Dano), and stay-at-home mom Sheryl (Toni Collette).

In many ways, Little Miss Sunshine parallels a National Lampoon’s Vacation feature.  Namely, the plot is comprised of a little trip that goes too far.  The core characters are present in both: mom, dad, son, daughter, uncle/cousin, and grandparent/aunt.  And, in Little Miss Sunshine the eldest ends up suffering the same fate as Aunt Edna from Vacation.  Furthermore, Greg Kinnear’s character exudes the same exact confidence and determination as Chevy Chase’s to meet an end goal—regardless of the hardships it forces his family to endure. 

Apart from the film’s lead actor, Steve Carell could be pinned as a supporting actor; however, Alan Arkin is merely a shadow in the script that drops a few f-bombs.  He departs from the story 50 minutes in, and his screen time before this 50-minute mark is limited.  Yes, his character stands out, but not enough to warrant an Academy Award nomination for supporting actor.

Men aside, Abigail Breslin is the highlight of the show.  Proving she can not only emit emotion easier than a baby who wants its bottle, but also pull-off wearing a fat suit and dancing on par with the likes of Napoleon Dynamite, this charming 10-year-old is surely a star.  Only time will tell if this gifted young actress can continue to convey such on-screen magic into her adulthood.

© 2007 Brandon Valentine