Not Just The Funniest Movie Of The Year!

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2007)

It's one of the best of the year! I rented this movie thinking it would be your typical indie film, which I usually like. But this film is so much more than that! It is clever, witty, plenty of laughs and enough drama to go around. I'll get started on the plot, it follows the story six people all members of a highly dysfuctioninal family. Greg Kinear wonderfully plays a wannabe motivational speaker, with a "if you're not first you're last" personality, he is constantly driving his family nuts. Enter his wife greatly plaid by Toni Collet. She is always trying to keep this family together, the type of person who try's to keep it fair and kind always, but is constantly frustrated by her husband (Kinear). Then there the heroin addict grandpa, played with scene stealing roles by Alan Arkin. He is a very cranky person who has points in the film where he shows that he really DOES care about his family. Then there are the children played by Pual Dano and Abigail Breslin, both masterfully played! Olive (Breslin)dreams of winning the little miss sunshine beauty pageant and that is why this crazy road trip starts. Pual Dano plays a kid who is keeping a code of silence until he makes it to Airline school and he seems to be mad at the world. And then comes my favorite performance of the film, Steve Carrel who plays a suicidal homosexual. The best part of this movie is that each character has time to develop. My rating for Little Miss Sunshine 9/10