What child acting can achieve when its right.

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2007)

Spoilers ahead, drive carefully.
LMS sports a superb cast playing misfits of suburbia. Kinnear, always good, is insufferable as the wanna-be Tony Robbins; Steve Carell is, well, Steve Carell, no one possesses better comic instincts these days, but his role here clearly points the way towards a successful future in semi-comic dramatic roles or maybe semi-dramatic comic roles (see Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, et. al.); Alan Arkin is successfully dusted off and reminds everyone why The Russians Are Coming was so damn funny in the first place. But its the two women in the film, Collette and the fresh, seemingly uncoached Abigail Breslen who center the film. They are the glue that holds these freaks (including the abyss staring son, Dwayne) together. The underlying ties that bind are obviously Collette's to pull, yet among this definite A-list of stars, portraying a B-list family, Abigail's Olive steals every scene she's in. There is absolute beauty and pureness to her focus and straight forward approach. You can tell her awkwardness, the way she stands, when she's busting with energy, her walk, are not products of endless child acting classes; her portrayal of Olive is spot on and never forced. Maybe its noticeable to fathers of daughters; but there are moments, faint sparkles of awkward innocence that can melt the surliest grouches. And, its funny. very funny. I absolutely love the irony at the pageant dance, with everyone appalled by the racy (read: too slutty) Superfreak dance, while the rest of them are engaging in thinly veiled (if at all) whore-training. Just put a pole on that stage, and the whole thing takes on a totally different connotation. LMS is focused. Tight. They don't veer too far of course. Its a "small" film, and good things come in "small" packages (even if the package is a fat suit): recommended.