A touching drama that makes you feel for each and every one of the characters without retrieving even once to genre clichés

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2007)

Family values have been an "it" thing in theaters ever since the medium was invented, yet somehow the genre keeps producing fresh entries every few years. In 2006, it reached a new height when both critics and audiences as one praised the independent hit that could - Little Miss Sunshine. A dark tale about a malfunctioning family, this road trip comedy is a touching drama that makes you feel for each and every one of the characters without retrieving even once to genre clichés.
The cast of LMS is made up of incredible B-list actors who are way unappreciated for their cumulative works. Academy Award nominee, 11 year-old Abigail Breslin (Signs, Raising Helen), delivers the performance of her lifetime as Olive Hoover, a precocious little girl who scores a place in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty competition by default. Thing is, Olive is funny looking and not all that talented, but there isn't a soul in sight to tell her that. Her father Richard (Greg Kinnear, Academy Award nominee for As Good as it Gets) is a failed motivational speaker; her uncle Frank (Steve Carrel, in a wonderful detour from his usual shenanigans) recently tried to commit suicide; her brother Dwayne (Paul Dano, The Girl Next Door) is under a willing vow of silence and loathes the very essence of his family; and her grandfather Edwin (Alan Arkin, who received a long deserved Oscar for his role) seems to be the only understanding soul around, but also takes drugs and is obsessed with porn during his free time. Olive's desperate mother, Sheryl (Toni Collette, Academy Award nominee for The Sixth Sense), is determined to let Olive compete in the competition, which is held on the other side of the US, and manages to gather the malfunctioning members of the family in their VW mini-bus.
From here on out, a macabre-yet-invigorating chain of events begins, thrusting the family into absurd scenarios and eventually bringing them closer together. On their road trip from hell, the Hoovers experience run-ins with the law, car trouble, sibling rivalry and the ultimate test of them all  a beauty pageant for little girls. During this chain of events, however, they learn to appreciate and even love one another, and get to deliver a strong message against exploiting preteens working within the fashion industry.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to hug the adorable Olive, but most of all you'll smile. This memorable little drama is a tour de force of talent in display, and a perfect original film who stands out in a world of sequels, remakes and huge franchises.