Little Miss Sunshine Review
By David Kempler
You're going to laugh whether you want to or not
Finally! A movie that made me laugh out loud repeatedly. The rest of the audience felt the same way when I attended "Little Miss Sunshine". It was exhilarating. No, it's not the greatest movie ever made and yes it has more than a few flaws but it's easy to look past these shortcomings and get swept away by a funny movie with some great moments.
Early on the movie feels forced, with characters being introduced in an assembly line fashion where each one seems to be screaming, "Look at me. I'm quirky." But after some initial awkwardness and in spite of an uneven plot and Greg Kinnear's usual okay acting, the movie takes off, with Grandpa (Alan Arkin) serving as the main propellant.
The story is about an extended family, consisting of mom Sheryl (Toni Collette) struggling for success, windbag dad Richard (Greg Kinnear), self-imposed mute son Dwayne (Paul Dano), suicidal homosexual Frank (Steve Carrell), cantankerous and foul-mouthed grandpa (Alan Arkin), and of course our little Miss Sunshine, daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin). There is a load of internal strife in this group but together they go after the crown of beauty queen for little girls for Olive. Most of the film is about the journey, literally and figuratively. The literal part takes place in an old beat up VW van.
"Little Miss Sunshine" is written by first timer Michael Arndt and it's an outstanding debut for him. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris weave comedy magic, teaming up as directors, both having cut their teeth on music videos.
I won't ruin any of the laughs for you. Just go see it and take a couple hours off from anything that bothers you. I promise you'll leave the theater with an ear to ear grin.
