Quirky, dark and funny look at American dreams and nightmares

Rating: 9/10 (20 October 2006)

This film will not appeal to everyone. As a graduate of the National Lampoon series with Chevy Chase, I now feel ready to move on after seeing this film. Here we have a worthy successor to the slightly forced humour of American Vacation and its celluloid siblings. By the end I was so enthralled that I spontaneously clapped. I was so warmed by the conclusion I forgot myself,and to my surprise the largely student auditorium followed suit. Was this a Pavlovian sheep response or does Miss Sunshine truly touch buttons for all ages ? I think the latter. The reason, I believe, is that much has echoes of we live we live and observe. Dysfunctional families like little Olive's Hoover family actually exist. We all know that element of quirkiness and the crumpling under pressure in our own - be honest ! From this film we will recognise the over conscientious mum trying to hold it all together and the strident dad, largely in denial of all that is going on around him. We know, and have been, the moody teenager. then there's the slightly worrying relative and the outrageous crinkly grandparent, who lets the side down. Each character is given a twist to send them slightly over the top. then there's little Olive who probably wouldn't notice if a bomb went off in her own back yard, so charmingly ensconced is she in her own little world. Part of her world world is the doubtful aspiration of being a beauty queen.
Not wishing to spoil your experience of watching this - and this is a DVD film, the big screen is not absolutely necessary - the majority of the film is about journeying. It is about journeying in every sense of the word.Behind the humour there is the deeper reality of experiences that change you as a person.Developing from the sudden 'all up in the camper van and go' beginnings to the race against time across several states, laughs and perils mark the way. Some are unlikely and challenge credibility, some are plausible. It doesn't matter because this film does not say 'take me seriously', but 'understand the principles'. For the most part the situation humour is subtle and dark, but for me personally, chuckle-funny.
The characterisation is well developed. Frank,my favourite,is a brilliant but sombre gay academic who is rehabilitating in his sister's family after a suicide attempt. He softens up in time and helps to draw out Dwayne the teenage Nietsche loving son who has taken a vow of silence to escape his family. Richard Hoover, the dad is driven and success orientated, but hits a brick wall.His journey ends in his trading being a 'winner' to being an celebrator of life. Edwin his father, the hippie grandfather, a rather far-out Victor Meldrew, and well...you'll see. Sheryl, the mum comes out as the most normal; stressed out and exasperated but recognisably human. Olive as mentioned before is homely, innocent and wonderfully unselfconscious.
Grandfather Edwin's legacy is to leave his granddaughter Olive a 'dance routine' to perform at the contest. It blows the mind of the Beauty Contest audience and the anally retentive judges panel in different ways but provides the catharsis for the journey and their lives. The journey ends with American warm glow life changes, new values, the opening of eyes to new ways of being, and that liberating feeling that simply makes you want to clap in appreciation, probably wishing you could be as transformed as this redeemed Hoover family setting off in their yellow camper van for the journey home at the end.