Little Miss Sunshine

Red Eye Rundown
Hilarious, tragic, moving and classic
Why not try As Good as It Gets
 
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Review
Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a dysfunctional family’s desperate attempts to get their daughter to a Little Miss Beauty Pageant contest. We are introduced to all of the family members and their quirky characteristics. The son hasn’t spoken for 9 months, the daughter is obsessed with beauty pageants, the father is a motivational speaker who lives his dream of the 9 step motivation program, and the grandfather snorts heroin. The only normal one seems to be the mother who keeps them all together.

This touching film is filled with a mix of relative unknowns as well as established actors. With Steve Carrell (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Greg Kinnear (As Good as it Gets), Toni Collette (Sixth Sense) and Alan Arkin (Edward Scissor Hands) providing big name support to less established but equally engaging actors - Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano. All of the actors perform brilliantly, with just the right amount of direction from Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (directors), the actors deliver their lines with panache, wit and graceful subtlety.

With so many great performances it is really tough to pick out any outstanding individuals, however I found Abigail Breslin’s performance as the intelligent and sensitive grand-daughter and Alan Larkin’s as the crass but fun-loving grandfather to be the shining moments in the film. Not only do they achieve stellar individual performances, but there on-screen relationship is touching and real.

The directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have a history in music video production and television. There direction is perfect it is both quirky and real. The film has a brash independent feel without reeling off into self–indulgence or offering the characters to much individual time on camera. This is an actors film, in so much as there isn’t a focus on scenery or lighting but intimate and fun mixtures of film-score and actors expression to help the emotion of the film along.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and am very tempted to elevate the rating to 10/10, it made me laugh out loud. It is very well written, appropriately and sensitively directed, and above all touching and evocative.

It comes highly recommended from Red Eye Review and I insist you go and see it immediately.

In conclusion, an entertaining, fun and emotional tale of family breakthroughs and loss. A wild road-trip adventure across America; with hilarious antics and tragic miss-haps. Fine actors, excellent direction, wonderful music and a classic ending.
 
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Genre Information
Genre: Comedy, Drama
 
Production Information
Produced in: USA
Language: English
 
Release Information
Released: 2006
UK cinema: 08/09/2006
US cinema: 26/07/2006
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