The Breakfast club hits the road. Best movie this year so far.

Rating: 9/10 (15 September 2006)

I love going to the cinema and seeing a film that completely and totally original, something that is just nothing like anything I've ever seen before and so my response to "Little Miss Sunshine" was one of love at first sight.
The narrative follows a pattern similar to the legendary "The Breakfast Club" before it. A dysfunctional family whose youngest daughter Olive has made it to the final of the little miss sunshine contest must travel to California and by a string of bad luck the entire family ends up coming along.
Every member of the family is unique and they are all superbly portrayed by a talented and well-picked cast with each character being original and well developed. However what makes "Little Miss Sunshine" so fantastic is the chemistry between the characters. As the trip begins a wall can almost be seen around each individual character as they dwell silently in their own problems. As things start to go wrong and bad moves to worse, one by one the family opens up to one and other, their stories sporting hilarious but frequently moving results and the relationships between them are truly touching.
Now for the new and completely original and brilliant part. This film strikes the perfect blend between extremely moving drama and its comic element. Its brand of humour is beautifully original and very odd. As the film gets moodier and more intense the humour gets blacker and so blends with the feel of the film meaning that no gag is out of place and that many comedic parts actually add to the mood of the film. This allows the audience to laugh and enjoy the film but still take it seriously for what it is. It is all topped off with a final scene that is so bizarre and unpredictable you won't know weather to laugh or simply look sheepish.
It's a fantastically black comedy and moving drama with a unique and touching look at family life. Best of all it was the most original film this year and in an age of sequels, second sequels, spin-offs and remakes, originality is becoming a precious gem which is getting increasingly rare. The last truly original film the I saw was "Pirates of the Caribbean; The Curse Of The Black Pearl", and that was 3 years ago.
Also recommended; The Breakfast Club
Forrest Gump