About a week ago, I went to see the movie Little Miss Sunshine. I had read good reviews about this movie and there wasn't much out worth seeing, so I decided to check it out. Sometimes, small movies of this type can be overhyped to the point it diminishes what's good about it (Lost In Translation comes to mind, I liked this movie quite a bit but did it meet its hype? No). Fortunately, Little Miss Sunshine lives up to its early buzz as a fun, heartfelt comedy about a dysfunctional family trying to enter their little girl into a beauty pagent.
The story and characters aren't terribly original, although there are enough distinct touches to them to keep it from being entirely generic. A dysfunctional family on a cross country trip with a lot of mishaps has been done before and I found myself thinking about National Lampoon's Vacation a lot during this film. But, the writing and a strong cast deliver excellent performances. The cast includes Greg Kinnear (Talk Soup) as a failing motivational speaker and father, Toni Collete (Muriels Wedding) as the frustrated level headed mother, Steve Carell (40 Year Old Virgin) as a suicidal intellectual and Adam Arkin (like, every movie made in the 1970's) as a coke addicted, harsh but caring grandfather. I can't remember the actors who portrayed the depressed, vow of silence teenager and the peppy daughter who wants to win the Little Miss Sunshine pagent, but they are perfect in their performances as well.
What truly makes this movie work is the tone. Shot by two directors, this film strikes the perfect balance between realism and comedy by giving the characters and actors room to express themselves fully. The humor doesn't come from biting one liners or outrageous situations but from the characters personalities interacting and their reaction to outrageous situations. For example, while in their van the grandfather loudly advises his grandson to get laid as often as possible with the small daughter sitting in front of him (listening to a walkman) and the father protesting. The situation itself is a generic sitcom setup, but instead of just delivering the raunchy joke the scene takes time to allow the audience to see the grandfather's genuine (if misguided) concern, the disaffection of the teenager, the obliviousness of the cheery daughter and the father's genuine (but annoying) concern over the content and his lack of control over the whole situation.
With a keen eye for character development and a wry sense of humor, the film becomes increasing endearing as the plot becomes less realistic towards the end. But at that point, I was sold on these people and was rooting for them to succeed. Little Miss Sunshine is a fun comedy that I would recommend to anyone. I give it a 9 out of 10.
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