The Film
Little Miss Sunshine was a Sundance favorite that scored Alan Arkin his one and only Academy Award. Arkin plays the grandfather here. It's not a huge role, but it's an important part of the extremely dysfunctional family that loads into a dysfunctional VW bus on a quest to attend (and, hopefully, to win) a creepy California beauty pageant.
Rounding out the family is father/failed motivational speaker Richard (Greg Kinnear), extremely overworked mom Sheryl (Toni Collette), silent-but-sad son Dwayne (Paul Dano), and beauty-queen-in-training Olive (Abigail Breslin). Grandpa, whose big potty-mouth matches his big heroin addition, isn't the only hanger-on. The family also takes in Uncle Frank (Steve Carell), a Proust scholar who has recently attempated suicide after a series of bad events, which includes being dumped by his young boyfriend.
For a second opinion see David Kempler's review of the theatrical release of Little Miss Sunshine.
The Picture
Most of Little Miss Sunshine takes the viewer on an extremely long road trip, so expect to spot a lot of great scenery. The shrubs, the mountains, and even the lines on the road look great in this 2.40:1 transfer. However, it's the climactic pageant scene that delivers the most color and detail. After all, it's hard to not notice the pancake-styled makeup of the pageant's hostmaster, as well as the many sparkles and shiny, possibly bulletproof, hair of each of the kiddie contestants.
The Sound
For a low budget movie, both the image and the sound are pretty darned detailed. For instance, when Richard addresses the crowd in the opening, the DTS-HD Master Audio track really makes you feel like you are in an auditorium setting. Also, the endless, piercing horn of the practically-broken-down VW makes you want to stop the whole trip and rip those wires out on your own. There's a lot to hear here, but some of it is also loud, often drowning out some of the dialogue. That dialogue is clear, though; just make sure to pay attention to it.
The Extras
Someone at Fox must really love this movie or its fans, because they have included a lot of gems in this latest release. Aside from the extras that were included in the standard def DVD version, there are a slew of extras, most notably a making-of featurette, a few shorts on the stellar soundtrack, and a crop of webisodes.
Final Thoughts
If you're an indie fan, this one is a must. If not, you will get a kick out of the savage-but-sweet story, as well as each of the performances. Besides, Fox did very well this time in the extras department as well as the overall transfer. The film is cute, quirky, and it looks pretty good on Blu-ray. Consider adding a little Sunshine to your high-def collection.
Where to Buy:
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