"I can say what I want - I still got Nazi bullets in my Ass" (Grandpa - Little Miss Sunshine)
Like probably everyone reading this I love a good laugh, however, I don't think I'm easily pleased when it comes to comedies. Too many of them are based on laughing at stupid people pulling stupid faces which gets very boring. The last couple of 'comedies' I went to see at the pictures had me groaning in disappointment, so it wasn't with the highest of hopes that I went to see Little Miss Sunshine. How refreshing when a comedy comes along that can actually do the job of making you laugh.
This is a dark comedy about a family with more than their share of problems, who are forced to take a trip together in order that the little girl can take part in the beauty pageant of the title. She has reached the finals by default, but Olive Hoover just doesn't seem the type to take part in those awful American child beauty pageants. She loves to watch beauty pageants on TV and her heart is set on taking part, although with her big glasses and sticky out tummy you wonder how she thinks she'll win it, (apparently she wore a fat suit for the part). Her father, played by Greg Kinnear is a failing motivational speaker and will not hear of any doubts being cast upon his daughters chances in the competition. If she has self-belief then she can do it, is his attitude, and due to the prevailing familial circumstances everyone ends up having to go.
Each of the family members has their own scene at the start of the film and so we instantly gain some understanding of their characters. Grandpa has been thrown out of his retirement home for taking drugs. Older brother Dwayne has taken a vow of silence and communicates through gestures and written notes. Uncle Frank, Americas number one Proust scholar, has just left hospital after a suicide atttempt and is brought to stay with them by Sheryl, the mother of the family, played by Toni Collette who seems to be the sanest of the lot.
Collette seems to be a somewhat overlooked but very talented actor and convinces here as the overwrought mum, dealing brilliantly with such a challenging family. Kinnear as Dad, Paul Dano as the older brother and Alan Arkin as Grandpa all play their parts well and Abigail Breslin as Olive was a delight to watch. Funnyman Steve Carrell, plays Uncle Frank, (a part originally written for Bill Murray), and he carries it off brilliantly.
Comedy is notoriously difficult to write and I thought that some parts of the film seemed a touch forced but overall the quality of writing and acting was superb.There was a lot of laughter in the cinema where I was watching this, although I found it more chuckles than belly laughs.The characters were so well drawn that they were able to get away with a little bit of easy humour and make routine slapstick seem fresh.
Everything builds towards the final scene and you wonder how it can possibly have a feel good ending. I find that what often ruins comedy for me is the predictability; if I know what's going to happen then, although that can sometimes be funny, it usually isn't. The unexpected element of comedy is often the funniest and as this film drew to its climax I just didn't know what to expect. Part of me was hoping against an awful, sentimental and unbelievable Hollywood ending, but what I got was a scene which made me laugh everytime I thought about it for days afterward. I won't give anything away but believe me the climactic scene of the movie is the funniest part of the whole film.
Little Miss Sunshine is not a masterpiece but it manages to be both intelligent and accessible, touching without sentimentality and most importantly, (if you're anything like me), it will leave you with a big grin on your face.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Pile together a blue-ribbon cast, a screenplay high in quirkiness, and the Sundance stamp ... more
of approval, and you've got yourself a crossover indie hit. That formula worked forLittle Miss Sunshine, a frequently hilarious study of family dysfunction. Meet ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Take a hilarious ride with the Hoovers, one of the most endearingly fractured families in ... more
comedy history.Father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is desperately trying to sell his motivational success programme... with no success. Meanwhile, pro-honesty mom Shery...
Advantages: Lovely bizarre road movie, perfectly balancing family dilemma and humour Disadvantages: Can seem slow and, sometimes, a little over the top
![Little Miss Sunshine [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78189332.jpg "Little Miss Sunshine [DVD] [2006]")
Apr 6th, 2007
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