Puts the "fun" in dysfunctional.

Rating: 10/10 (18 April 2007)

Follow a dysfunctional family made up of six vastly different individuals in a bright yellow VW bus on a hurried chaotic road trip, and experience one of the brightest filmic gems of recent memory, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. A Sundance favorite, 'Little Miss Sunshine' has emerged as a mainstream hit receiving four Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture. The wonderfully penned debut by writer Michael Arndt earned him an Academy Award, and provided the filmmakers with ample material to shape and craft into the memorable film that resulted. The opening of the film quickly establishes the idiosyncrasies of our main characters. Richard (Greg Kinnear) is determined to become a self-help guru with his "Refuse to Lose" system that is far from taking off. His wife Sheryl (Toni Collette) is supportive, but her patience is waning. Sheryl's brother Steve (Steve Carell) is a suicidal Proust scholar, put in the family's care temporarily until he gets better in the head. Richard and Sheryl's two kids are as different as night and day. Their teenage son Dwayne is in the midst of a vow of silence until he gets into the Air Force and becomes a fighter pilot. Dwayne keeps a book by Friedrich Nietzsche cracked open and claims to have been inspired by the German philosopher to stay mute. Olive (Abigail Breslin) is their fragile 7 year old daughter, obsessed with the validation of winning a beauty pageant someday. And finally, we have the grandfather (Alan Arkin), teaching Olive a dance routine for the beauty pageant, meanwhile having a closet heroin addiction. We are introduced to the quirky parts of this imperfect family machine and the story takes off. Olive has the chance to compete in a beauty pageant in Redondo Beach, California, and the entire family is forced to embark on a road trip full of calamity and comedy. Leaving from their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, they each are forced to get to know and appreciate each other, whether they want to or not, in the cramped space of the VW bus. It is really not all that implausible that the vast assortment of these characters can indeed exist in any single American family, making it easily relatable to virtually anyone. Most of us can see a piece of ourselves in either the youthful angst, or the older adult crises. As the VW bus nears its destination, each of the family members are tested, with perceptions and beliefs challenged. The pageant now represents a rallying point for them all, not just a contest for Olive to compete in. Despite setbacks and road adventures, they push on to California to make it on time, and have Olive be their symbolic champion. When all is said and done they see that the outcome does not matter. The fake and polished veneer of the pageant is abhorrent, and they see that awkward little Olive cannot fit in this world, and does not belong there. For in Olive, as in all of them, lies an individual that is important just as they are. 'Little Miss Sunshine' is both heartfelt and tragic, with an important message - life is not about the destination, but about the journey. The plot does not surround the pageant really, but the experiences the family shares on the way there. This ensemble cast works so well because nobody is trying to "steal the show"; they act together with a subtlety that is a treat to watch. This film is a wonderful comedic surprise, and certainly one of my favorites from the last year. This family puts the "fun" in dysfunctional  sit back and enjoy the ride!