A Fabulous Ending

Rating: 5/10 (17 January 2007)

Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a family setting out on a road trip in order to enter the youngest member Olive in a beauty pageant known as Little Miss Sunshine. Although initially the trip was supposed to be taken by the mother and the daughter alone, a suicidal uncle, heroin addicted grandfather, nihilistic teenager and father with a successful facade end up coming along for the ride. For the most part the film is uneventful and, aside from Mr. Carell's sarcasm towards Mr. Kinnear, not very comical. Alan Arkin's talent was wasted during this film. His character was dry and inappropriate. Steve Carell did a decent job of playing someone who is suicidal but the script failed to allow him to shine aside from one scene with him and Paul Dano alone discussing life and Proust I believe? Well anyway The movie dragged on and I was bored until the end when the daughter finally makes it to the stage and puts on a wonderful show for the shocked and appalled onlookers. Anyway, the final ten minutes are great and made me laugh and clap and cry and all that good stuff. But to watch an entire movie for the final ten minutes. Not worth it. I give it a five out of ten for effort.