Aren't indie flicks supposed to be original?

Rating: 6/10 (10 September 2006)

With all the hype surrounding this film I went expecting to see the best movie I'd see all year, but nearly two hours later when the credits rolled I felt cheated. Following yet another road trip taken by a dysfunctional family, "Little Miss Sunshine" is at times painfully predictable and sadly unoriginal. The family itself is so generic in its dysfunction: there's the the ineffectual motivational-speaker dad who hates losers (meaning he secretly hates his family), the stressed out mom, the chubby 7-year-old daughter with beauty pageant dreams, the brooding Nietzsche-reading teen, the suicidal gay uncle, and the drug-abusing horny grandpa who decides he's old enough to say whatever he wants. As you might expect, EVERYTHING on this trip goes wrong. Along the way to the beauty pageant, each family member is confronted with expectations and rude awakenings. What is supposed to be an ensemble piece about a family never quite comes together and we are left with a series of scenes meant to showcase a particular cast member's talent, but the problem is no one really reacts or relates to anyone else. The one sweet scene between Grandpa and 7-year-old Olive is a relief, but also feels glaringly underlined by the director. As an audience member I didn't miss any of these heartfelt scenes, but I didn't buy them either. So that I don't sound like I'm trashing a film that I almost enjoyed, I should give credit where credit is due. Part of the film's obvious irony is that depressed Uncle Frank (played by Steve Carell) is the only person who can see how weird this family is, but watching his calm bewilderment is a delight. Toni Collete is also so darn likable, but I was bored with just about any scene that focused entirely on father Greg Kinnear's character. The finale at the beauty pageant exaggerates and replays all the lessons that have come before: such competitions are superficial, and displays of love come in all forms. The family embraces its loserdom and becomes winners by showing how grotesque the child beauty pageant world is  wow, now that's a fresh idea! The film saves its one big laugh for the end, but it was too little too late. While it had its moments, Little Miss Sunshine isn't as wacky or clever as it believes itself to be and this ticket holder walked away disappointed.