Little Miss Sunshine

Rated R for: language, some sex and drug content
Running Time: 1 hr., 41 min.
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin

Rating: Three stars [out of four]

In theaters now


There are very few quirky comedies out there that actually work. Most of the time they end up too sappy or try to cram a message down your throat to the point that you're gasping for air.

That's why it's so refreshing when a movie like Little Miss Sunshine comes along, that manages to make you feel good without insulting its audience's intelligence. It's happy but not too happy. The characters are three-dimensional and the story is creative. Hollywood executives take note.

At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the Hoovers. A "normal" family they're not. Mother Sheryl [Toni Collette] is at the end of her emotional rope trying to keep her husband Richard [Greg Kinnear], who is a winner-take-all, emotionally destructive "motivator" in line. Richard's father Edwin [Alan Arkin] is in the twilight years of his life, and is addicted to heroin. Son Dwayne [Paul Dano] has taken a vow of silence after he starts reading Nietzsche. And, then, there's Sheryl's brother Frank [Steve Carell], who, at the start of the film, is just being released from the hospital after a failed suicide attempt. Believe it or not, this is a comedy, and a feel- good comedy at that [you'll have to trust me on this.]

The only one who seems even halfway normal is little Olivia [Abigail Breslin] who finds out that she is qualified to enter the Little Miss Sunshine competition in California, about seven hundred miles away.

The family [reluctantly, for some] piles into an old VW van and head off for California. Of course, complications due to both family dynamic as well as problems outside their control ensue.

Yes, this is territory that's been covered before, but what really sets this film apart is its honesty and creativity. The characters are nicely drawn out and acted, and never feel like one dimensional jokes, which, in lesser hands, they could have easily turned into.

You can credit that to co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and, of course, to the cast, who all do terrific jobs keeping the blood flowing through their alter-egos.



There are two stand-outs here, however, that need to be spotlighted. Steve Carell, who has come such a long way since his start with The Daily Show, keeps his comedic expressions to a minimum, highlighting his dramatic acting ability here. He is a man lost and alone, and doesn't have much dialogue expressing this inner turmoil at all. Yet, despite that it isn't mentioned directly all that much [no big scenery chewing speeches here from Mr. Carell] you can always sense that something is deeply amiss with him. The haunted look in his eyes never leaves, and, as with all great actors, it's what is between the lines that expresses so much. His hurt is so tangible you almost want to cry.

Then there's the young Abigail Breslin who really stands out here as Olivia. She's given two scenes where she really gets a chance to show off her acting chops, and she nails it perfectly. She's one of the young actresses who I hope goes on to have a long career, she deserves it.

The film can sometimes seem a tad typical, but never for long. For as many times as I figured out what was going to happen next, there were plot twists that I didn't see coming at all. Funny most of the time, thoroughly entertaining all the way through, Little Miss Sunshine doesn't break any new ground, but treads the old in an interesting and fresh way. You'll walk away feeling as if this was two hours well spent, and you won't feel like you were hit in the head with too much sappiness [though a bit does tend to leak through here or there.]

We need more films like this. Here's hoping.