Get On the Bus: Let the "Sunshine" In - The Year's Funniest Comedy and Best Film of the Year - (so far); No Foolin'.

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2006)

Every year there seems to be some sort of miracle film that drops out of nowhere usually associated with the independent scene and The Sundance Film Festival and the latest of its breed, is a real winning gem about what it means to be a loser winningly and with deft melancholic grace.
The Hoover family is your atypical loving yet dysfunctional American brood (whose isn't, am I right people?!): Richard (Kinnear giving his best performance to date with canny deftness) , the patriarch, is a budding self-help 9-step motivational speaker who dreams of going onto national acclaim by investing his family's wealth and spirit into a venture best described as self-fulfilled; his wife, Sheryl (Collette excellent as always and ditto for her turn here), is a loving yet tired woman who only wants what's best for everyone even if it means living vicariously through their ideal wishes; her children, Dwayne (Dano channeling a mute John Cusack), is a rebellious 15-year old who worships Nietzsche, and has taken a nine-month and counting vow of silence until he gets accepted into the Air Force as a fighter pilot, communicating only through a placid, vacant stare of contempt and angst and a memo pad to scratch his replies; and youngest daughter Olive (the adorable Breslin, arguably the finest child actress of recent memory; the anti-Dakota Fanning if you will; natural to a fault), a 7-year old whose reservoir of good cheer is only superseded by her desire to enter the titular talent contest.
Adding to the mix is Grandpa (Arkin, always welcome on screen and is a hoot here), a cranky counterrevolutionary whose expulsion from his retirement home due to his ongoing heroin dependency forces him to shack up with his son and family, including Sheryl's brother, Frank (Carell, scruffily bearded, giving a stunningly poignant and hilarious performance), 'the nation's preeminent Proust scholar" (a running gag throughout the film) recently released from the hospital after an unsuccessful suicide attempt due to a broken heart, misjudgment of an affair and the subsequent loss of his job.
As the recently reunited Frank is about to have dinner with the Hoover clan they are interrupted by an answering machine message by Olive's aunt proclaiming her a finalist for the pageant prompting the little girl in a fit of ecstasy running pell mell throughout the house, haphazardly packing for the trip from her Albuquerque environs to California where the contest is. Amidst the brouhaha, Richard finally acquiesces to his daughter's destiny and figuring to seal the deal for his foray into public speaking packs up the entire family in their vintage mellow yellow VW bus en route for a truly memorable (and ultimately touching) adventure.
What follows are a series of hysterical and warmly felt emotional sequences running the gambit from life lessons, to moments of clarity and even an epiphany or too but with some seriously funny pieces of dialogue and sight gags (the VW's gears are stripped when Sheryl unsuccessfully attempts to learn stick forcing the entire group to push start and then scramble back into the vehicle) that will have you laughing out loud long and hard (it certainly did me!)
Directed by husband-wife team of Dayton and Faris (successful video auteurs) in their big-screen debut the film rollicks along with its punchy humor, insightful digs at societal ills (pornography, straight, gay and decidedly pre-adolescent in the form of the final act's grotesque freak show of little girls in fashion model make-up and Bobble-Headed frozen grimaces masking smiles); familial discord (life and literally death is decided upon at the drop of a dime); and making judgments that will solidify the actions leading up to them.
Novice screenwriter Michael Arndt's arch and melancholic screenplay is right on the money at the black satire and human drama that he etches with real characters you root for and surprisingly identify with as they face one pitfall after another in the giddy yet ice-cream ache of their quest. It is one of the few screenplays in recent memory where I was laughing through tears and vice versa.
The ensemble cast is one to die for and kudos to all of the primary actors. Each has their moments that are too numerous to mention but I seriously mean it when I think this film is the best comedy and perhaps the best of the year and should be recognized in various Oscar categories , not the least of which is its sterling, affective acting from Kinnear as the control-freak daddy with blinders on to his own arrogance until he sees the light; Collette, one of my faves of all time, with such nuance that nibbling angrily on a Popsicle dessert speaks volumes; Carell, miles away from his doofus roles of the past, gives a remarkable balance of sadness and sarcasm, as his troubled soul; Arkin, a national treasure as arguably the hippest cinematic grandpa of all time and wise ("Sleep with a lot of girls! Not one; a lot!") despite his foolish substance abuse; Dano saying so much with barely a raised eyebrow of the insanity he must witness (his "Give Mom A Hug" note a highlight of hilarious poignancy); and Breslin, who gave such a heart-rending turn in last year's indie "Keane", is downright perfect as the so-full-of hope Olive that her innocence is never betrayed in spite of its razor- thin tightrope of loss (trust me, you'll never be able to hear "Super Freak" again the same!); she is the heart and soul of this winning comedy that tickles the funny bone and warms the heart.
I need to add one other little thought before concluding, when I heard the hauntingly beautiful theme music of Devotchka's "How it Ends" (it appeared in "Everything is Illuminated"'s trailer) my heart raced and a smile spread across my face that practically never left. It is perfect. And so is the film.