Hilarious, a totally must see

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2007)

This film is an instant classic. It starts with a very dramatic opening, and turns into a hilarious dramedy about a dysfunctional family on the road from New Mexico to California. It has a brilliant script and a shiny plot. I loved this movie from beginning to end. And so will you.
The movie starts off with Sheryl(Toni Collette) going to pick up her brother, Frank(Steve Carrell), a homosexual who has just recently tried to kill himself. She takes him home to her house to live with her for a while. Her family includes her overachiever husband, Richard(Greg Kinnear), her silent son, Dwayne(Paul Dano), adorable daughter Olive(Abigail Breslin) and of course, Grandpa(Alan Arkin). During dinner, Sheryl gets a phone call on the answering machine saying that Olive can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pagient. Olive runs around the house packing yelling, "I WON!". Therefore, all the Hoovers are going to California.
The cast is wonderful! Abigail Breslin is one of the cutest kids ever. She is a great actress and pulls off Olive so well. Richard, the overachieving father, is played by Greg Kinnear, who i am normally not a fan of, but he pulled off Richard very convincingly. I liked him. Toni Collette as Sheryl was so great. She could totally hide her Australian accent perfectly. Of course you got Grandpa! Alan Arkin is absolutely HILARIOUS as Grandpa. He totally added great humour to the story. Then you got Steve Carrell. Really funny as the depressed homosexual. Very convincing and very funny. In my opinion, there are two performances(although they all rocked) that stood out the most. Of course, little Abigail, and then you have Paul Dano. He was amazing as Dwayne. I found that he and Frank sort of bonded on the trip. They both never really smiled at all and they used great comedy. Dano's character doesn't say a single word until the middle/near the end. His character has taken a vow of silence until he can become a pilot. His scene where he finally talks is kind of emotional yet SO funny! I definitely recommend this movie for anyone who wants to laugh and maybe even cry at the same time. Rent it or buy it. Either way watch this film. It is excellence. It deserves its top 250 spot. Though maybe even higher.
P.S. This isn't a kids movie. There is bad language and drugs in this one. But kids from 12+ can handle that.