What's wrong with this Family ?

Rating: 5/10 (28 December 2006)

Fall from the cliff, after raising your expectations sky high ! This is how exactly I felt, after watching this movie ! Hyped as one of the best of 2006, it does not match the viewer's concept of what is in store for him ! Though the topic of a real loser family, on all counts, some how coming together finally, even the son who hates every body, and declares it so, coming closer to it, is a refreshing change from today's mechanical, artificial, and decorative families, often seen on the screen, much remains to be fulfilled, in terms of direction ! Why did that addict, yet adorable grandpa had to die so suddenly ? The reactions of the entire family, towards his death, are absolutely abnormal ! Come on, now, here was a person, live and kicking, talking about the number of girls he flirted with when he was young, and still interested to have a look at those magazines ? And what the whole family could think of , is stuffing his dead body in the rear of that junkie van, and proceed ? This feels like an absolute assault on the humane angle, that the movie boasts to have ! and why the hell all the other characters are shown in such poor light ? Doctors and nurses, and the administrative staff, of a hospital, is always not that bad ? Afterall, they also have some rules and regulations to follow ? Taking out the dead body through the window, is the limit ! Richard, the husband, is played realistically, while the wife is simply annoying ! she can't cook a proper dinner for the family, for God's sake !
the only plus point, is the effort of the script writer, and the director, to indicate, that these extreme odd situations, can attack the negative walls built among them, and they can start on a fresh note, with a much better understanding of each other, their own selves, and build a good rapport ! some how. the little girl , astonishing every one, with that sexy number , not suitable to her age, and the family joining her on the stage, in that chaotic situation, is unwarranted ! so this is what the grandpa taught her ? other girls might have been shown as plastic dolls, but at least were decent ? Do we understand, that such young girls can get away with any thing ? and they should be encouraged for that ? Alan Arkin is good as grandpa, but the question is, how come the dark side of his personality, that is addiction, obscene language, is tolerated by others, and isn't it a bad influence on the little girl in the family ? that annoying wife is all the time troubling and interrupting her poor husband ! this much pent up callousness , how can it be wiped with only some hours of traveling together ? and the reasons for her negativism towards him, are not clear ! Little Miss Sunshine, definitely needed some fine tuning, to be hyped as the family film of the year, which can be liked by every one, and all that stuff ! especially, the sudden death of the grandpa, and the entire turn of events which follow, aren't handled too well, and make a mockery of such a serious thing like death ! Though the film propagates, you have to be the winner, it's a loser on this count, in my opinion ! Viewers are free to decide on their own ! A strange motley of the characters , is this family, or a zoo ?