A Pleasant, Humorous Addition to the Top 250

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2008)

A girl and her family travel across the country to have her compete in the Little Miss Sunshine competition. The family, with a genetic ability to lose at everything, is determined to see that in the end they're all winners in one way or another.
When this film came out, I didn't know what it was. I saw a preview or two and heard it was good, but I was under the impression it was going to be some pretentious indie film and I wasn't in the mood for that. Some days I am, but I just wasn't feeling it. Somehow I didn't notice it had Greg Kinnear (whom I love) and Steve Carell (although he wouldn't have sold me on it). And so I just let the film pass me by, with plans to see it much later.
Well, "much later" finally arrived on Christmas 2007. And i must say I was pleased -- the humor is there, and of a dark, sarcastic nature I can really appreciate. Death, failure, suicide and misery are the punchlines here (or at least the warm-ups) and I couldn't be more pleased. Most of all I was pleased with Carell, the suicidal uncle. Carell has somehow become seen as something of the new Jim Carrey, which I think has hurt him. Following "Bruce Almighty" with "Evan Almighty" and now appearing together in "Horton Hears a Who" are probably mistakes. But in "Sunshine", he's not wacky -- he's just honest and plays a good, solid character. It's quite likely he will never have a better role.
And truly, the ensemble cast is pretty cool. I wasn't a big fan of the brother. But the grandfather was hilarious, the father alright and the mother a good matriarch. The daughter really did run the show, and I'm glad they were able to find such a decent young actress. They could have cast Dakota Fanning or her sister, but luckily they avoided that like a Clay Aiken concert.
I also want to say that for having two directors, the film is pretty seamless. Generally, two directors is a bad sign. You have competing visions, or sometimes you have one director simply picking up where the other left off. Here, it worked fine -- a feat that really can only be shared with the Coen Brothers. So, you're in good (and limited) company, gentlemen.
See this movie. The Oscars it won are well-deserved, and you'll appreciate this (and maybe your family) after you see it. It's nice to see a film that isn't just raunchy humor... it may be morbid, but it's intelligently morbid.