Darkly quirky sunshine

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2006)

It's become a sort of tradition now. Every year, there comes a small independent movie that's so well received by audiences, it becomes as popular as any mainstream Hollywood film, a "little movie that could", if you will. Previous examples of this sort of film include 2004's "Garden State", and 2005's "Hustle and Flow" and "The March of the Penguins". This year, there's no doubt in mind that "Little Miss Sunshine" perfectly establishes that mantle.
One of the main reasons behind Little Miss Sunshine's success is its ability to be quirky, dark, and ultimately relatable all at the same time. The screenplay follows a sort of formula of meticulously blending dark, dysfunctional family issues with subsequent emotional and comedic payoffs. It's a rather "Royal Tenenbaums-esquire" tactic, and nevertheless, a hard one to pull off. Yet, the screenplay proves to carry out this style with great ease. An ease that pushes the film thorough its first two acts, and then lets it flout on its own two legs for its finale.
The film focuses on an average American family, and a dysfunctional one at most. From its opening scenes, we are introduced to each of the character's main goals and inner demons. First, there's Olive, a youthfully innocent little girl who dreams of winning a beauty pageant, even though, at first glance, you'd think she'd more likely be the bispectacled winner of a spelling bee, instead. Then there's Olive's brother, Dwayne, a teenager who longs to escape from his family's dysfunction with hopes of getting accepted to an Air Force Academy and prepares by constantly exercising and taking a vow of silence. The father of the two, Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a devoted winner and business overachiever who can either be the peacemaker of his family or the over-commanding chief. The mother, Sheryl (Toni Collette) is, of course, the warm heart that everyone leans upon. This position places Sheryl in a rather stressful state, as she's always trying to communicate in order to help her and her family make their way out of the work-case scenarios. Then there's Frank (Steve Carell), brother of Sheryl and uncle of Dwayne and Olive. A highly intelligent scholar, Frank is recovering from his suicidal case of depression, after learning that the man he loves is, in fact, in love with another man. And last, but not least, there's Grandpa, an aged hippie who follows a rather adventurous and eccentric philosophy for his lifestyle, fueled with sexual innuendo and heroin. For Grandpa, every moment of life should be worth living.
Everyone argues because of his or her various differences and inner-demons. Grandpa offers bad advice to his grandchildren, Richard stresses his family over the egotistic concept of winning and losing, and Sheryl just wants her family to be free of its mess. So, once Olive is accepted to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, the road trip that the Hoovers embark upon shall lead to their discovery of the true meaning of "family" and how they should learn to accept who they are, for better or for worse. This may sound like a sappy little movie with a crystal clear message; yet, it's far from it. Although it can indeed be heartwarming, the film doesn't touch those elements until it emerges out of the dark shadow of its character's issues. Everyone has personal obstacles to face and it's only a matter of time before they learn to overcome them. This is the secret behind Little Miss Sunshine's success, it's its ability to communicate exuberantly with its intended audience. And, it does so by presenting us with characters that are so real and somewhat disturbing in nature, we can't help but realize their quirkiness because of the fact that we've seen them before in our every day lives. In other words, it's the nature of the story and the characters that leads to the quirkiness.
The script is a work of beauty, as it presents each character with subtle ease. No one is too dysfunctional or too dark, but, contains just the right amount of realism to connect with the viewer. The situations and predicaments that we witness all help bring out the best of these daunted human beings. For instance, when her brother is in his worst state, Olive is always there to put her head on his shoulder, ready to cheer him up. It's scenes and situations like these that form the quintessential of the human heart, the true key behind the film's success.
The performances given by the ensemble cast are equally real and unique. Although everyone delivers a raw amount of realism, Paul Dano is the true standout. When he plays his quiet character, he allows the audience to feel his emotions through his daunted facial expressions and various nuances, which is then multiplied by ten when he actually does talk.
I also cannot conclude this review without giving praise to the directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who capture every single aspect of the film's beauty. Considering that Little Miss Sunshine is indeed a road movie, it succeeds in presenting us with the gorgeous landscapes of the California cross-country, indulging in the vast sunshine. Yet, visuals aside, Dayton and Faris also accomplish in capturing the realism of the film by utilizing in a sort of "documentary" feel, using hand-held camera techniques that benefit to the overall believability of the film.
All in all, Little Miss Sunshine is one of the year's best, and it wholeheartedly deserves its wide range of acclaim. In a year that's been full of lukewarm efforts, Little Miss Sunshine carries the biggest, and most refreshing of hearts.