Little Miss Understood

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2008)

I spent more than a few minutes reading the "hated it" reviews by folks here. The criticisms seem to suggest that this is a tasteless film that promotes drug abuse and child molestation. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a quirky comedy filled with interesting characters - and despite the common themes it has with other road films (most notably "Vacation") it manages to do what the best satire usually does; make you think and laugh.
The family on the fringe consists of a porno-loving, horse-sniffing grandpa, an emo teen who wants to be a USAF pilot, a Dad who is a failure in business, a stressed-out Mom, and her gay, jilted, suicidal brother. Holding this diverse family together is a chubby little girl who dreams of winning a beauty contest. The road trip that they take to get to the pageant reveals the characters flaws and insecurities. The only one who seems to have some sort of inner peace is Olive, the girl who has her eyes on the prize despite the wacky goings-on during the trip.
Stop right there. Does the synopsis of this film seem believable to you? Of course not. These characters only inhabit Hollywood films. I haven't seen many John McClain's at the Dunkin Donuts while patrolling the streets but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy "Die Hard." Any road film in this day and age is going to be derivative of earlier efforts. What distinguishes this film is the accurate representation of the role that family plays in our competitive society today. How many thousands of miles do today's soccer parents log taking their kids to games? Dance recitals? Music lessons? Did anyone even consider for one second what the parents did for Olive was excessively indulgent? I know I didn't. She was a sweet girl who had a dream. I would have done the same for my kid. My Mussolini-serving, fascist-loving Dad (and he is indeed a real character) would have given up his other trigger finger to get his grandkids what they wanted. This is America today. Win at any cost and make sure you look good doing it.
Which brings us to the amazing final scene. Many found Olive's risqué dance to "Superfreak" disturbing and highly sexualized. As a parent who has attended many dance recitals, I can tell you that there was nothing even remotely sexual in this routine when compared to real performances I have seen from little girls the same age as Olive. Olive's dance is a REJECTION of the the beauty pageant, it's over-made-up little tarts, their usually fat mothers, and the tacky Vegas-style revue that it resembles. The little girl is having fun - she is shaking and grinding it because she likes to dance. Her infectious spinning around during the dance, and her family joining her to support her amidst outraged Stepford parents, is a strong an affirmation on family-values as I have seen in a while. "Sanford Babbit?" Would you want to be his kid for even one second?" asked Tom Cruise in "Rain Man." That was another road film with an unlikely cast of characters that evolved into a touching tale of family love. Contrived? Maybe. But at least it wasn't misunderstood as this fine film was, despite the same message.