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Little Miss Sunshine (DVD, 2006)
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Posted by CK-Auctions It's the little movie that could -- focused on a supremely dysfunctional clan, yet limned with a dark comic spirit and palpable empathy for its fucked up, fucked over cast of characters, Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's big-screen directorial debut Little Miss Sunshine is that rare blend of pathos and the in-vogue awkward comedy. Most refreshing is that Michael Arndt's subtly lacerating screenplay takes stock clichés and infuses them with quirks that approach reality, albeit an extremely heightened sense of reality; you watch Little Miss Sunshine and see a splintered, spirited family unit grow closer and approach something resembling understanding. To ruin the surprises of Little Miss Sunshine would rob those coming to the film for the first time: the endearingly combative Hoover family – led by self-help patriarch Richard (Greg Kinnear), daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) is a budding beauty pageant contestant and her brother Dwayne (Paul Dano) is going on nine months as a mute, studying the nihilistic works of Nietzsche. Mom Sheryl (Toni Collette) has her hands full with her suicidal brother Frank (Steve Carell) and Richard's caustic, drugged out dad (Alan Arkin). When Olive wins a spot in the prestigious Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, the Hoovers pile into a past-its-prime Volkswagen van and head out, across New Mexico, towards the promise of a glittering future in California. Little Miss Sunshine doesn't unfold in an entirely predictable manner, often zigging where you might think it would zag – lining scenes with a patently absurd vibe, music video vets turned feature film directors Dayton and Faris swipe a few pages from the Woody Allen/Wes Anderson playbook, electing to play gags straight ahead and letting the laughs evolve naturally. It helps the directors that they've assembled a cast brimming with impeccable comic timing; Kinnear, Collette, Carell, Breslin, Dano and Arkin take Arndt's screenplay and give it a loose, improvised feel. A handful of films worth sitting through make it out alive each year that when a work like Little Miss Sunshine comes along, you can't recommend it strongly enough. It's a rib-tickling ray of light beamed from Hollywood, of all places, reminding you that, yes, in fact it is possible to be both moved and amused. Little Miss Sunshine debuts on DVD with both a razor-sharp 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and a 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer on the reverse side of this flipper disc -- the widescreen image is very clean, vivid and saturated, as befits a recently filmed production. There are a few, fleeting instances of grain, but otherwise, this is a pretty solid visual representation. If you have any questions about this review please contact us at contact@ck-auctions.com Posted by CK-AuctionsRead full review
Little Miss Sunshine depicts every possible dysfunction that a family could have. A grandfather, played by Alan Arkin, curses constantly and abuses drugs. A mother (Toni Collette)rushes around so much that her dinners come from KFC. The father (Greg Kinnear) is trying to sell a motivational book and DVD about winning. (Can you imagine winning and living with a family like this?) The teenage son has taken a vow of silence until he is accepted in the Air Force Academy and wants to fly jets. The uncle is living there because he tried to commit suicide after his gay lover-student broke up with him. And last but most of all not least is the darling pre-teen daughter played by Abigail Breslin, who wants to win a beauty contest. All these desperate people end up in an old Volkswagen van to bring some happiness to this precious little girl because they know how she is fascinated with beauty contests. And besides she has already won a regional contest that automatically qualifies her for entry into the national contest. Everything bad and some good things happen on their trip. They run into the uncle's ex-gay lover while the uncle is buying porn magazines for the grandfather. The clutch on the van breaks down, and they have to drive in 3rd gear for the last half of the trip. The grandfather dies, and there is nowhere to leave the body. The son finds out that he is color blind, which would disqualify him as a pilot. They get stopped by the police and pay him off with the porn magazines. But the beauty contest, Little Miss Sunshine, is the highlight. We get to see 25 super-snobby, dressed-to-the-hilt little girls and some of their performances. And we immediately see that they are the real dysfunctionals. Our little girl is the most normal of all. Until she performs. I won't tell you what her talent is, but it is the most hysterical performance because it was taught to her by the grandfather, who is now dead and in the backseat of the van. The movie is one laugh after another. Alan Arkin won a Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance as the grandfather. And Abigail Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and should have won. For a low budget movie, the movie itself was also nominated as Best Picture and won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award. It is a great movie to watch to escape from daily downers. It reminded me immediately of Chevy Chase and the Vacation movies, and for that I gave it only a "Good" rating.Read full review
The problem many people may have with this movie is the expectation of a standard comedy. If that is what you are expecting, you may be disappointed. The draw in Little Miss Sunshine is not the occasional humorous bits, but the depiction of a real, down-to-earth, completely dysfunctional, and true to life American family and how they adapt to what life throws at them. The cast here is top-notch, and reads like a Who's Who in American film. Outwardly, the family is a group of misfits that totally clash and rub each other the wrong way. Underneath, there are real connections and strong emotions that tie the family together. This is a rare dark comedy with a refreshing, unique storyline and a stellar cast. Will you like it? It's hard to say. Just try not to let too many of the reviews cloud your judgement. It seems most of the viewers who did not like it went into it expecting something different, so if you keep an open mind and go with the flow I believe you will truly enjoy this quirky, humorous, family offering. Rating - 4/5 Rent or Buy - Definitely rent it first; may not be everyone's cup of tea.Read full review
Little Miss Sunshine was a decent flick. It is heralded as a low budget independent film that did well enough at the sundance film festival that it should be put out mass market - and to great reviews. Sunshine is centered on a disfunctional family going through rough times, but are all able to come together for their youngest "Olive" who enters the Little Miss Sunshine beuty pageant much to everyones chagrin. Embarking on a roadtrip in a rundown VW bus, hilarity ensues. Alan Arkin is always excellent, although his grandfatherly advise (and drug use) might not be recommended for some. Steve Carrell (The 40 Year Old Virgin) is the gay professor fresh out of suicide recovery and Greg Kinnear (Dear God) plays the failing motivational speaker. The Olive's talent portion at the Sunshine pageant was my only complaint. You'll see. The movie was actually really good, leaving you feeling pretty comfortable where your own life is at the moment and that you are not going through what they do. Thats the idea. They were very dysfunctional, but not too outragously dysfunctional for any of us not to relate to. Is a film for the whole family? Eh...for some families. Is a good move? You bet. Enjoy!Read full review
Little Miss Sunshine is a quirky comedy about a fractured family that is forced to go on a road trip so that the youngest member of the family can compete in a beauty peagent. Be warned this movie is not a laugh out loud type of movie where the characters crack jokes or where hilarity ensues when things go over the top. Rather this movie makes you laugh because you see family problems and/or dysfunction show cased in a weirdly funny sort of way. The beauty of this movie is that despite the outlandishness of it all, you can relate to all the characters on some level -- Every family has the know it all, the out cast, the scholar, the dreamer, the no holds bar elder, and the rockor glue that keeps it together. So this movie is more than anything just a highten show case of family dysfunction, the disappointments that life throws at us and how to be happy despite them. I walked out of the theater with my face hurting from laughing so much. I haven't seen a movie that consistently funny, dysfunctional, clever and warm all at the same time in ages. You sit in the van with them. You're actually there with them. You know this family. You're probably part of this family. There really isn't much else I can say other than the fact the pageant was more twisted and dysfunctional than the family could ever be. Highly recommended.Read full review
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