Boy, this could have been good...

Rating: 3/10 (2 December 2010)

What a wasted opportunity. Little Miss Sunshine deservedly earns heaps of praise for the directing, acting, and pacing of the film. This low budget feature was first handedly pieced together by cast and crew who must have had a blast producing it. And the acting really is top notch all the way through. BUT WHAT A HORRIBLE STORY!
This movie was billed as a comedy, and, while it portends to that, the story is so depressing and inappropriate that it made me squirm uncomfortably the whole time. I started the DVD expecting to have a laugh fest, but realized in a few minutes that the mood was somber, dark, and disturbing. No problemo! I shifted gears and opened my mind to look at the film as a drama. Nope, failed again. And the culprit is the story. Seeing people in anguish and under stress can be very funny if done right. Seeing realism can be funny if handled with a light touch. But nothing can redeem the excesses of this road trip. The grandfather character (expertly acted) is so vulgar and crass especially around the little girl that it was uncomfortable to watch, not funny. The beauty pageant dance he teaches her is an inexcusable act of an old man's lecherous fantasies remembered by using his granddaughter as a go between. The end dance scene is supposed to be a satire on the flaky child modeling business and is supposed to represent the dysfunctional family's uniting event. But it was all in bad taste. I didn't buy it. I found it offensive. It was the final straw that ruined a movie with such great potential. If you are into seeing pseudo child pornography, then dig in. Otherwise, rent something that really is funny. This is a road trip movie to avoid because it seems like it could be funny and profound, and ends up being sad, depressing, and offensive.