“Little Miss Sunshine”
Directed by: Jonathon Dayton & Valerie Faris. Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steven Carell, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin. Reviewed by Katie Petrachonis
“Little Miss Sunshine” is an ensemble piece in the best sense of the word. There truly is no ‘main’ character. But each character is so fully developed that the audience may latch onto a particular favorite as their own personal star. That’s part of what makes this film so much fun. The contradicting and clashing personalities are so vast that you can’t help but identify with at least one of the characters.
Sheryl (Collette) and Richard (Kinnear) are polar opposites as the realist mother and eternal optimist father. Dwayne (Dano), a Nietzsche fan who refuses to speak, and pageant contestant Olive (Breslin) are the children of this dysfunctional marriage. Arkin is the grumpy grandpa that curses and has a drug habit. Frank (Carell) is Sheryl’s brother who stays with the family after his suicide attempt. Independent film usually thrives on just one of these characters and their quirks. Throw them all together and add a road trip, an independent film staple, and it’s basically an indie film lover’s dream come true.
After a hilarious and insightful family dinner that opens the film, Olive learns she won a place in the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant in California. The family piles in their VW bus and heads cross country to get her there in time. The physical obstacles along the way are many and somewhat predictable, however the real obstacle they face is figuring out how to live with one another.
Dayton and Faris have a long history of success in commercial and music video direction. This is their first collaboration for a feature and, like their other work, they chose well.
This film went fast at Sundance and it’s not a surprise why. It’s an entertaining film with a big heart. More than die hard independent film enthusiasts will love it. Viewers will find that character to call their own, and they’ll laugh, cry and cheer with them along the way.
Story: A
Acting: A
Visuals: A-
Originality: A
Enjoyability: A
Overall: A
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