Life is a beauty pageant

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2016)

I watched this movie on a plane. I don't know what the person next to me might have thought of me, because I was laughing, then crying, then hysterically laugh again, then cry like a baby, to finally laugh to tears till the credits.
There are some movies that just get you. I don't know if it was the pseudo-indie cinematography, the light colours, the very earthly and relatable characters, the Sufjan Stevens soundtrack, the funny dialogues or everything put together; but I really felt the story close to my heart. Narrativvely speaking, it is a spring story: it goes from the utterly depressing life of an American family, to the immense happiness that can only come from having grown up as a character after a road trip. And it really manages to depict in a fair number of characters a distinct change into someone better, which gives us all hope that nothing is lost, and that in the end it will be alright.
Oh, and the actress of Olivia, the little girl, completely steals the show.