a bright, sun-shiny day....

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2006)

Little Miss Sunshine is a bright, gentile, sweet-spirited film with an outstanding ensemble cast and a fresh and enchanting screen play by Michael Arndt. I have nothing but respect for Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, and Steve Carell; and Paul Dano, whom i remember from his small stint on THE SOPRANOS, and Abigail Breslin, with such raw and natural talent, are fresh and flawless additions to this amazing mix of actors. Dano spoke volumes about his character with a minimum of words. These characters are flawed, complex, and fully fleshed with idiosyncrasies and quirks that we can relate to, characters we have probably met or perhaps are ourselves, part of the charm of this movie. Alan Arkin left the film all too soon, but he is memorable and likable,like all of the principals in this adventure. i took a road trip across Canada a long time ago in a Volkswagen van, and the landscape and ambiance, the lay of the land, brought back some great memories. The unexpected happens and the good times too. These are real people with intriguing personalities, and the getting there, is most of the fun. There is physical comedy here too, subtle and funny. When they finally arrive at the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant, there are girls dressed in glittery outfits, primped and excited. And yet, i didn't get the feeling that they were being exploited, nor that their dreams of being beauty queens were derided. The twelve little contestants were hilarious, and with the exception of Olive, were already seasoned pros. The MC was hilariously terrifying with his glib parody and terrible singing voice. Dano says, "i don't want these people judging Olive". And really, who could disagree with him? but in the end, this was Olive's dream, and she's entitled to them. Olive's dance was a tribute to her grandfather, and a tribute to the sheer joys of life. Shake up the conventional, kids. Put that fly in the ointment. Little Miss Sunshine is an absolute joy. We can all get behind a dream, and the dreams of our loved ones. We don't always have to win, as long as we enjoy the journey. And if we keep our individuality and our sincerity, then, we are winners. i loved this film. Proust, nihilism, brilliance, support, and joy...i have to admire how Dayton, Feris and Arndt mixed that concoction together in such fine fashion. warning*** if you think you are "normal" and that there is no dysfunction in your family; if you prefer big-budget action films;if you have LITTLE MAN, THE ANIMAL, and WHITE CHICKS in your DVD library; if small films which succeed despite everything doesn't interest you; or if you are mildly offended by subtle smarts, and familiar themes even when performed and produced exceptionally well, all of this is OK. For me, this is the message i received from this wonderful film. Be your glorious self. Life is a wild ride. I'm guessing this film wins best original screenplay at most of the awards this season. brace yourself, because Abigail has a shot here too, along with the venerable Alan Arkin...actually, simply a great ensemble cast.