An Innocent Little Movie

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2007)

Little Miss Sunshine is a movie that only functions because of its characters. The plot is simple, the setting is simple, and there are no camera tricks--but the characters are real. From the first scene, the film already influences the viewer into forming conceptions about each character, judging them. But then, the movie is about a girl whose family travels from afar for the sole purpose of having her judged. As the movie progresses, it becomes apparent that each character has both serious flaws and valuable social qualities; save for Olive, who is very young and has not yet been corrupted by her peers. The viewer should feel somewhat mixed feelings for many of the characters as he/she reexamines the preconceived judgments from the beginning. The final parts of the movie brilliantly display Olive's innocence and how her family attempts to preserve it. Because Olive's situation is known to the viewer, the viewer can empathize with the family at the end of the movie and realize the arrogance of the judges, as well as the lost innocence of the other "Little Miss Sunshine" participants.