Sweet, Clever and Modest

Rating: 6/10 (27 August 2006)

Little Miss Sunshine is a good-natured comedy with some decent laughs. I don't see any dark side to it, unlike some other reviewers; it never really develops true seriousness. Yet it does manage to avoid cheap laughs and stock gags. The film it most reminded me of was National Lampoon's Vacation. Not exactly Keaton or Tati, but on the other hand, if you want to make a funny family comedy you can do a lot worse than to channel Vacation. Notable performances by Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin, who are good individually and develop a lovely rapport. Also very good in the film is the running Proust-scholar business, which is exactly preposterous enough to be hilarious. Watch carefully for the vanity plates in the scene at the convenience store for an example.