Sunny Delight!

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2006)

Quirky characters have always been a necessary criterion in dialogue-driven independent films. The indie sunsation, I mean sensation "Little Miss Sunshine" glows to that mold exactly. Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette star as Richard & Sheryl Hoover. Richard is a struggling motivational speaker whose egoistic tactics derail his career instead of motivate it for success. Sheryl is the Gibraltar of the Hoover Damn Family who tries to put everything in its place doing rocky times at the Hoover Damn. Steve Carell plays Sheryl's gay brother Frank, who unsuccessfully tries to commit suicide because quite frankly his gay lover left him because he was no longer considered the top Prost scholar. Paul Dano plays Dwayne Hoover, the angst tacit teenage Hoover son who has resorted to "sounds of silence" to allow him to escape from the family torments. Alan Arkin plays Grandpa Edwin Hoover who is the antithesis of Dwayne. Gramps talks way too much about anything he has his mind on. And then there is the Little Sunshine herself. Abigail Breslin plays Olive Hoover, the young pageant-obsessed Hoover girl who has qualified to enter in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest in California. "Little Miss Sunshine" is a bright & wonderful family road trip film which focuses on the Hoover mission to get Olive to the pageant in Cali. Michael Arndt has written a delightful script which is worthy to be called a "piece of Arndt". Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Paris also should be noted for their big dynamic duo effort in developing "Little Miss Sunshine". However, it was the stellar cast of this film that really "brought the sunshine in". Could very well be the premier acting ensemble of 2006. All are worthy of Oscar nominations! The scene-stealing work of Arkin has to garner a Best Supporting Actor nom! Make the sunshine of your movie life a viewing of "Little Miss Sunshine". ***** Excellent