Funny and smart Script and astonishing performances makes you laugh like a lunatic, and cry like a little miss sunshine after losing a contest! (oh, wait)

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2013)

Have you ever heard of those "Little Miss Sunshine" contests? The ones that glosses, fantasize and pamper girls between 6-9 years old and put them to compete to see which one is the most beautiful (in other words beauty contest for spoiled children)?! And it always ends up with the winner flattering herself and the losers crying?! Well don't worry, this film is not about that, at least not 80% of it. And actually makes you crack-yourself laughing, and teaches you a lot about family relationship.
"Little Miss Sunshine" begins with the Hoover family. A really problematic family, with: the father Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear), an advertising manager that tries to sell his campaign about the 9 steps to achieve success, but the poor guy just don't want to admit that he is a poor loser; the mother Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) trying to put peace in the house but it always fails miserably. Even more when she brings her problematic-homosexual brother Frank Ginsberg (Steve Carell) from the hospital after trying to kill himself by depression (his boyfriend cheated on him with a teacher that end up being super rich and famous); the older son Dwayne (Paul Dano), a teenager who hates everyone and made a vow of silence to his parents let him be an airplane pilot; the grandpa Edwin Hoover (Alan Arkin) who was expelled from his retirement house and now he swears and smokes weed every day, every hour. The family day-to-day changes when Olive (Abigail Breslin) the youngest daughter (and probably the most normal member of the family) gets a call saying that she was approved and can participate in the "Little Miss Sunshine" contest in Redondo Beach, which had always been her dream. The family "couldn't resist" her cuteness and decided to travel to Redondo Beach in their old Volkswagen Type 2 to take Olive to the pageant. But crazy drawbacks will appear on the road.
For the synopsis you can imagine that it is a road trip movie and in the end she wins the contest and the whole family ends up happy. But thanks to Michael Arndt screenplay things go through the crooked and not only makes the family happy but also we. With this I mean that this film, that is considered a family drama, expect many die-laughing moments. Of course the film doesn't lose its dramatic side (which is quite heavy in the film) showing family and life situations with a beautiful narrative. But Michael Arndt with a really smart humor can make all the really sad situations, really really funny.
Even the directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris help spice up the humor and drama of the film. It has moments that seem to be Wes Anderson making the film (drama and comedy together with a funny vision of the world sounds his style), but the directors put very well the situation of the film in our world. Especially at a emotional time in the trip, and on the arrival in the contest, but it never loses his sense of humor making us laugh by every minute.
But for everything to work out, a really great cast would have to be up the height of the movie, something that doesn't lack in this film. Yes, Alan Arkin took the Oscar in the film, and it wasn't for nothing thanks to his funny swears and his pure human side, but in the cast doesn't lack out great performance. Since: the little Abigail Breslin (superb); the troubled teenager Paul Dano (excellent as always) that it doesn't say one word till half of the film in the most emotional and funny scene; and Steve Carell surprises with a hilarious and superb performance (and proved to be perhaps the most important character in the film).
A gripping drama that teaches us a lot about family and life, but thanks to a superb cast and amazing script, makes us laugh after laughs and get fun by every minute that passes. And after the end, this little masterpiece makes us open a huge smile on our face! 9/10