Consistently funny even if some of the jokes are retreads

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2006)

After the regional winner of the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant is withdrawn, young Olive Hoover (splendidly played by Abigail Breslin) is invited to Redondo Beach, in order to take part in the national beauty competition for pre-teens. Only she has two problems: (a) her family are too broke to fly there and (b) due to various circumstances, the road trip requires all barmy combatants of the family to travel as well. Among them includes the heroine-addicted grandpa (Alda), older brother Dwayne (Dano), who has taken a vow of silence until he reaches his goal of becoming a navy pilot, and her suicidal gay uncle Frank (Carell, playing against type) who has to be monitored at all times. And, of course, they encounter any number of problems and mishaps along the way. Whilst the movie ends on a misjudged elaborate comic set piece, for the most part Little Miss Sunshine is consistently funny, if not nearly as acerbic as it could have been. This is thanks largely to both Alan Alda, as the foul-mouthed, bawdy grandpa who says whatever the hell he likes, and Greg Kinnear as a relentless self-improving dad, and failed motivational speaker.