Little Miss Sunshine (DVD, 2009, Spa Cash)

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.

Little Miss Sunshine

I watched Little Miss Sunshine today and have to say... I haven't laughed this much since Napoleon Dynamite. The cast, the pageant, and every member of the family make Little Miss Sunshine absolutely spectacular.

Final Verdict:

5/5

Rent or Buy?: There's nothing for me to say, this film is a must buy, you will watch it, love it, and watch it again.

IF YOU FIND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE. Thank you.

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.

I saw this movie in the theater and was very impressed. It was well written, great character development, couldn't ask for a better comedy family film. However, I was ripped off and never received this dvd from the seller. He is now longer on ebay for the time being but this whole episode has made an impression on me. I will no longer buy from someone who does not accept paypal. You have no recorse after you send them a check or money order. It's been a month and I'm still waiting for my dvd.

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.

A very quirky family embarks on a road trip from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to get their young girl to a beauty pageant. Greg Kinnear is the motivational speaker father who pushes the girl to perfection while Toni Collette plays the hippy-dippy mother who urges the child to be natural and do as she wishes without putting pressure on herself. Add an odd brother (Paul Dano) who is mute by choice and a X-rated grandfather (Alan Arkin) add to the insanity.

I saw this with my mother and sister over Christmas. Mom hated it. Sis and I were so eager to see it since we'd both heard so much about it but we both sat there, scratching our heads, and wondered what it was we were missing about the "greatness" of this film. Granted, there were some funny bits but for the most part, the whole thing just didn't work for either one of us. While young Abigail Breslin is being touted as the next Dakota Fanning, we couldn't see that either. She was a cute little girl who turned in what we thought was a quite ordinary performance.

I do appreciate what was done on a shoestring budget for this film and, as I said, there were some genuine laughs, but I suspect my sister and I were expecting so my more based on the hype when this film hit theaters.

.

We absolutely loved this movie!

What's great about this movie is that even though each member of this family has a disfunction, they all still love each other. They are twisted, yet funny and loving. They are sarcastic, yet needy and giving.

The pageant scenes were especially funny in a "been there, seen that" kind of way. It really is an eye-opener for newbie pageant go-ers.

An all around great cast- the little girl stole the show!

There was plenty of good laughs throughout the movie. This movie is not just a comedy though. There are real emotions and subplots amongst the characters. You feel for this family. Beware that some language and actions may be considered indecent - however in this movie it fits with the characters and their journey.

Excellent script, Excellent Actors, A Hit!

Little Miss Sunshine is simply put, a great film. I laughed out loud so hard while viewing this film. It has a little bit of something for everyone. Greg Kinnear plays the leading role, as a perfectionest type with a win or stay home mentality, the type that could drive anyone crazy! His wife is truly a kind supporting person, and together they have a beautiful little girl, who gets a second chance at a beauty pageant. Her older brother hates everyone and has gone mute in protest. Her uncle has just failed a a suicide attempt, after being jilted by a gay lover. Her grandpa is a totally wacko drug addict, who teaches young Vida some wacked-out dance moves.....you simply gotta see this film-I laughed tilled I cried....give it 5 stars, wished I could give this one more~extremely funny!
Awards
2006 Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt
2006 Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin

I was on a flight out to Vegas and reluctantly choose to watch the inflight movie, it didn't sound like something I'd really like. I was glad I did. I was thoughly entertained and enjoyed the entire movie. Probably won't make my top 10 but it was well worth watching, even if we had paid to see it!

Recently I had the opportunity to watch the movie Little Miss Sunshine on HBO. I had heard good reviews about it, but rarely have time to engage in a movie or DVD. I have since watched this movie twice and highly recommend it to others. The genre is a comedy, but it really challenges standard comedy rules. While engaging various serious subjects such as suicide and death it continues to drive the seriousness of them to the mat with complicated comedy. I think that this is one of those love hate movies. If you enjoy the far Side By Gary Larson, or Seinfeld, you probably have the right humor for this. So give yourself a treat and hit Blockbuster today.
-Heather

I decided to buy this DVD because the movie had been mentioned to me by another person who was overtaken with the movie's comedic aspect. I believe we all need comedy in our lives to break away from any of our day's tension causes.
I really did like the comedy in this movie, too. Having a family myself and travelling makes you have to stop and consider, "Is this the way we may be viewed upon by others on our miles travelled?"
I loved the DVD because it gave alternate endings which were really interesting AND wonderfully funny!!

Very dark humored comedy. Appears to be a very bad attempt at stealing the idea of national lampoons Vactation. Both road trips, one dead gramma, one dead grandpa, car problems. Just stick National Lampoons if you want to laugh. Thats just this guys opinion.

After all the hype and promise of awards, I was a little disappointed that Little Miss Sunshine didn't knock me out. I might have been more impressed if I had seen it cold, but maybe not. The acting was great all around, but Alan Arkin was definitely missed when he wasn't on camera. As he reaches the end of his career he really shows what's missing in many of our less experienced actors, and he reminds us of better films.

The movie is entertaining, but ultimately somewhat contrived and predictable. The characters do get developed, but you can't help but see them as devices, as means to an end, which of course is what all characters are. You just don't want their function to be so transparent, as Greg Kinnear is: the motivational speaker who is (irony!) a loser, or the angry teen who has taken a vow of silence you just know will be renounced at a key emotional juncture.

Definitely worth a view, and sadly one of the better films I've seen in awhile, which says more about movies this year than about this particular one.

I really liked this movie. I was glad i bought it because i debated it for a little while. The movie has a dry humor to it that is really good. If you like movies like Napolean Dynamite you would love this movie. I really liked the connection between the grandfather and the little girl. The grandpa played such a great role. His character is my favorite. The little girls dance at the end is absolutly hilarious.

This is a must see! A heartwarming, funny, outrageous small film. Each character in this totally dysfunctional family is so well drawn and weird and lovable, too.

Really connected with the characters in this movie. SUPERB acting and storyline. Very entertaining.

This is about a very unusual family bringing their daughter to a beauty contest....there some very funny moments and enjoyable parts but much of it was a bit outrageous for me....the little girl was adorable and the ending dance was hilarious but I rate it as very average otherwise.

The storyline seems pretty basic, 7-year-old Olive wants to be part of the Little Miss Sunshine contest so her family goes on a road trip to take her. However, this movie is not typical and the plot twists catch you by surprise. The script is fresh and funny, with just the right amount of sarcasm and poignancy. There are countless laugh-out-loud moments that derive from a clever screenplay and outstanding acting.

I really like this movie! Be warned it is not a child's movie, it deals with adult themes, drug use, homosexuality. It it funny, moving, sad at times and hilarious at other times. My daughter also enjoyed this movie as well but she is an adult. Greg Kinnear is great in this movie but Alan Arkin is even better!

I had seen this movie with friends at the theater. It was so good that I wanted my own copy. We laughed so hard throughout the entire movie. It was that good . . Funniest movie I have seen in a long time! It won an award, too, for best comedy, and some of the actors were nominated. I believe Alan Arkin won Oscar for best supporting actor, but all of them did a great job. If you have not seen this movie, you are in for a real treat!

Except for occasional rough language, this movie is a fantastic family film. It is hilarious and with a very touchig message. The acting is superb, especially the young actress that plays Olive. It brought tears from both laughter and from sentiment. S.K.

This movie is a treat to watch. The acting is great, with spot-on performances by Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, and Greg Kinnear, as well as the lesser-known actors who steal quite a few of the scenes.

My family might have been mildly dysfunctional, but this on-screen clan puts every family I know to shame. There are the parents - one an unemployed hopeful author of motivational/self-help books, the other an overworked mother with little support from the rest of the family; the children - one having taken a vow of silence until he can get into the Air Force Academy, and the other an "ugly duckling" turned beauty queen; the outspoken, heroin-snorting grandpa, who is always ready to tell the family how he feels; and, best of all, Steve Carrell as the homosexual university professor who attempted suicide because he was spurned by another Proust scholar.

You put this group together in a barely-working van and head them off on a road trip, you have what amounts to National Lampoon's "Vacation" with a bunch of escaped mental patients playing the Griswalds. I don't want to ruin the fun, but anything you could imagine going wrong on a road trip does. But the beauty of this film is that, no matter how much they can't stand each other, the family always pithes in during a time of crisis and gets themselves out of a jam. It makes you want to phone mom.

Very highly recommended, though you might want to pre-screen if you have young children.

Plot
The highly stressed Hoover clan are taken aback by seven year-old ugly duckling Olive’s (Breslin) determination to compete in a beauty pageant. Circumstances force them cross country in a beaten-up VW van to be united by absurdity, disappointment and loss in one weird bonding experience.

Verdict
Sharp, very funny, surprisingly moving and rejoicing in great work from the entire cast, this sparkling little gem takes the family road movie to unhoped-for heights of hilarity and humanity.