Little Miss Sunshine

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2007)

I like this movie for its careful attention to detail.
The father is portrayed very well in the fact that he is a failed motivational speaker. The irony in this one situation could sell a movie alone. The mother obviously wanted a normal life and as seen early on in the movie she hasn't fulfilled that dream quite yet. The grandfather, a heroin addict, was also a nice touch. This is a common situation in house holds because during the Vietnam war many soldiers were introduced to the potent drug and kept their addiction while coming back to the states. The son, played by the talented actor Paul Dano, is seen as an outcast trying to find his own purpose in life. Struggling to maintain sanity while being surrounded by such a dysfunctional family could also make a great movie standing by itself. Olive was a great addition for her obliviousness. She has no idea how her image is presented(the ugly duckling). This is obviously the driving force in the plot and without her the trip to California would never have been made. The suicidal uncle is a great touch. He brings a very cruel but honest sarcastic humor to the table and completes this movie pushing it into what an be considered dark comedy.
Even though this family may seem odd, it portrays many suburban families in the United States (probably why it caught my attention). With even just one of the characters missing it would cut out at least 20 minutes of the story. Each character brings one dilemma to the table making this movie quite depressing. I will not go into details towards the ending for fear of ruining someones movie experience.
The only thing that would make this movie even better (for me personally) is to see Dain have a more philosophical outlook on life. It can be seen that it would be very hard for the director to show this due to Dain's vow of silence. I would have liked to see Dain grow more as a human being and be seen more as someone struggling to maintain sanity rather someone trying to be detached from life itself.
This movie is a must see.