A clever dysfunctional family comedy-drama...

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2007)

Little Miss Sunshine/2006/***1/2
Main Stars: Greg Kinnear Steve Carell Toni Collette Paul Dano Abigail Breslin
I would have to agree with the Oscar nominations this film received. Abigail Breslin does deserve some type of reward for doing such a good job. Same with Alan Arkin. He played a much different role than he usually does and was very convincing. It may even deserve the Best Motion Picture of the Year! Best Screenplay is what the film deserves the most, however. Movies like this come around a couple times in a lifetime. Rarely do you have an awkward comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family to pick up off the shelves at Blockbuster. These days we see movies filled with insipidity. Such as movies with explosions, predictable moments, and violence, and a couple other things that viewers younger than thirteen would be affronted by. Movies like this that have wit, are awkwardly funny, and have unpredictable moments, TRUE ACTING, and have a story are enjoyable to watch! This is one of those films. It is set around one fractured family trying to travel to California to enter Olive (Abigail Breslin), the eager seven-year-old who wants to be a beauty queen, into the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant. However, the quirks of the family somewhat hold them back. First off, there's the dad (Greg Kinnear) who enjoys lecturing people on if they are winners or losers. He doesn't like the fact that people put themselves down and would rather remain losers. He would rather them admit they are winners (ones who mainly TRY). "You don't have to succeed to be a winner". The family gets irked by his lectures later on. Then there's the mother (Toni Collette) who seems to be a typical depressed mother trying to raise children (meaning practically everyone except her) and trying to take a trip to California without going insane. Then there's the son (Paul Dano) who's a rebel and will not talk to the family until he gets accepted into the Air Force. However, he seems to be the one that says the most "F" words later on. Then there's the uncle (Steve Carell) who's gay and tried to commit suicide when finding out he was. Then there's the grandfather (Alan Arkin) (who had a shorter part than the others) who seems to be an extremely uneducated old man who smokes, takes drugs, etc. He obviously doesn't have the slightest bit of wisdom. However, the last line he said made him special and made who he said it to feel special on the inside and out. Last is Olive whom I already gave a brief description of. Even more detailed is that she is also a rebel just like her brother. She seems kind of naughty on the inside. Or perhaps "spicy" is the word I'm looking for. She is a kind and talented kid. The only questions that are hanging are: Will she win the beauty pageant? Will they ever get to California in order to find out? Well, since they are driving a crappy Volkswagen bus, that might delay them right there. But the dad thinks there is an easy way to solve this. Teamwork. No matter what, teamwork always helps (no matter how little the help may be). Instead of one person helping make it to California, why can't all six help? It would make things go a lot smoother. Their VW bus, unfortunately, cannot accelerate very well. So, to get it in gear, all six help in a way and get it to gain speed. That's where the teamwork part comes in. The family, as I said before, is dysfunctional, however. And their quirks may delay things a little, but are the delays that serious where they will completely damage the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant for their sweet little seven-year-old girl who wants to be a beauty queen? Who knows? She is not the most beautiful person on the outside (perhaps a little chunky around the middle), but her face and on the inside she is a beautiful girl longing for the purpose to help her family in the state of depression they're in (like severely in debt). Perhaps the family doesn't feel so well after the excitement that was brought to them. I wouldn't have an answer to that because the movie stopped in an odd spot. Perhaps their teamwork and excitement paid off, and they would have enjoyed taking that ride all the way to California to end up being Movie directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.