littlemisssunshine

THE SYNOPSIS

Meet the Hoovers: Richard (Kinnear)--a decent man who relies on his get-quick rich schemes to blossom; his wife Sheryl (Collette)--a decent woman trying to keep her sanity; son Dwayne (Dano)--a Nietzsche-reading, silent teenager with social issues; Grandpa Hoover (Arkin)--a drug-addicted coot who has a zest for living; Frank (Carrell)--Sheryl’s suicidal, college professor brother; and little Olive (Breslin)--a chubby, cute button who has been selected for a children’s beauty pageant that is to be held in California in a few days.

What to do? Well, this family, though dysfunctional--pile themselves into a yellow VW van and head out for a road trip from New Mexico. Along the way, weird things happen. Grandpa kicks one night and the family decide to wrap him up and bring him along anyway. Through their trip together, the Hoovers (and Frank) learn to bond and work together to get little Olive to the show.

Does she win? hell no, but the Hoovers are proud anyway. Now they have to get back home!

THE CRITIQUE

Man, was this a cute movie! Laughing and cringing at the family dynamic, I got the feeling that we all have these kinds of stories to tell when it comes to our own next of kin.

Acerbically-written by newbie screenwriter Michael Arndt, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was helmed by the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris (both of whom has directed many music videos and commercials). Befitting the comedic material, the directors give the proceedings a sunny disposition and easy-going pacing that contrasts their music video/commercials background. To boot, this is their first feature film.

Nicely-shot in widescreen by veteran cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt (Idiocracy/Office Space/Mannequin), the movie exhibits a cheery, brightly-lit visual palette that belies its cynical undertones. Other tech credits (editing, production design, score, etc.) are fine--considering that this is a low-budget picture (approximately $8,000,000).

Special recognition should be directed to the terrific cast, headlined by Greg Kinnear (a favorite of mine) and the talented, Aussie actress Toni Collette--both of whom anchor the dysfunctional Hoover family and the movie. Naturally I shall praise the great Alan Arkin (another favorite of mine) as the sharp-tongued old coot. He leaves the movie too early, if you ask me!

And let’s not forget budding superstar Steve Carell, who brings both pathos and a quasi-tragic quality to the “neurotic/suicidal uncle” role--by the way, he shot this movie before he found huge success with the comedic The 40-Year Old Virgin. Young thespians Paul Dano and cherubic Abigail Breslin round out this troupe and contribute much to the cause. Hell, these folks act like a real family. Nicely done thespians!

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is not a perfect movie, but it is very well-done in all departments. The fact that the movie took 5 years to make (from inception to release) showcases the filmmakers’ belief in the material-and audiences have responded to it (to the tune of nearly $60,000,000 in domestic theatrical boxoffice).

THE BOTTOM LINE

An endearing (if biting) little family comedy that works mainly because of script and cast. Most families are dysfunc-tional--but not all are (in the end) as loyal to each other as the Hoovers. Well, excluding The Munsters & The Addams Family that is...

CAST: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette & Steve Carell

CREDITS: Directors: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris; Screenwriter: Michael Arndt; Producers: Marc Turteltaub, David Friendly, Albert Berger, Peter Saraf & Ron Yerxa; Director of Photography: Tim Suhrstedt; Production Designer: Kalina Ivanov; Editor: Pamela Martin; Costume Designer: Nancy Steiner; Music: Mychael Danna

AC/SL/MV 2006 99m ENGLISH