Little Miss Sunshine

To dismissively group Little Miss Sunshine with the other American road trip comedies of the last decade (as some critics have) would be a monstrous disservice to the feature. This alternately twisted and precious comedy from music video veterans Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Farris (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) is more than just another “family on the road” farce. It’s a passionate reinvention of the softheaded and hardhearted material seen in lesser films such as RV and Johnson Family Vacation, which pointlessly milked family bickering for cheap laughs. Unlike these precursors, Sunshine strives to articulate actual family discord and find meaningful resolution to the family’s journey.

In the film, first time screenwriter Michael Arndt tells the story of Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin), a young girl who dreams of pageantry in spite of her unconventional shape and size (Breslin wears a “fat suit” to accentuate Olive’s innocent eyes). Unexpected circumstances provide Olive with the sudden opportunity to participate in a beauty contest called the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant. The catch is that due to various circumstances, the entire family must join Olive on the long drive to the contest.

Most of the fun in the movie comes from the hilarious, uncomfortable, and nerve wracking anxiety of observing Olive’s family in various scenes detailing their misadventures on the road. Though each relative comes with detailed baggage of some kind, the film expresses such sincerity and warmth for their struggles that even their comically exaggerated woes avoid feeling like clichés. It also helps that Breslin is joined by one of the most overwhelmingly brilliant ensemble casts in recent memory. Greg Kinnear, who has made a career out of playing uptight men who learn to loosen up, gives his very best performance here as just such a man (Olive’s father Richard). His onscreen wife, Toni Collette, gives an equally inspiring performance as the spirited family mother who is determined to help her daughter’s dream come true. Supporting players here include Steve Carell using his shtick to enliven a Proust scholar on the edge to brilliant effect and Alan Arkin as Olive’s charmingly profane and subtly profound grandpa. My personal favorite bit of acting is by up-and-comer Paul Dano who works for more than half the film using only his sullen eyes and perfectly deadpan expressions and later reveals even more layers of emotion when he finally speaks out.

In a summer full of absolutely awful comedies, this is a standout piece of engaging and hilarious material. Its slow expansion and growing success has been a personal joy to witness. Who knew people still actually went to see good movies anymore?

Grade: A