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Laramie Movie Scope:
Little Miss Sunshine

Oddball family road trip comedy

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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September 20, 2006 -- “Little Miss Sunshine” is a very funny comedy about sad, bittersweet and downright wacky events on a strange road trip. There is nothing terribly original about this movie. You've seen it all before, but usually this kind of comedy-drama is not this well written or acted. This is a fine example of a genre film, filled not only with comedy, but with irony, and bittersweet, flawed, but loveable characters.

Little Olive Hoover (played by Abigail Breslin of “Raising Helen”) adores beauty pageants and is really excited when she learns she is going to compete for the title of “Little Miss Sunshine” in a beauty pageant in a city hundreds of miles from home. She doesn't realize her parents, Richard (Greg Kinnear of “The Matador”) and Sheryl (Toni Collette of “About a Boy”) are strapped for cash because they have sunk their life savings into a book deal. Since they can't afford to fly, they decide to drive to the pageant in a shaky VW microbus. Also along for the ride are grandpa Edwin Hoover (Alan Arkin of “Firewall”), Olive's sullen brother, Dwayne (Paul Dano of “The Emperor's Club”) and Sheryl's suicidal brother, Frank (Steve Carrell of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin).”

This is one of those road trips where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. In addition to some very bitter disappointments, there is even death on this journey, but somehow, the family stays together to the end. Taking a page from “Animal House” the family decides not to despair over their bitter misfortune, but to stage one last, senseless, hilarious act of defiance. The family discovers they may not be winners in the eyes of the world, but their spirit is unbroken and they have what it takes to hang together and press onward.

That sounds a bit warm and fuzzy, but nothing in this film is sugar-coated. Bad, even tragic things happen, but though they are bloodied, they are unbowed. They just keep on trucking, still determined to succeed somehow. The story walks a delicate line between drama and comedy, succeeding at both. In one scene, Frank, who keeps reminding everyone he is the premier Proust scholar in the country, tells a bitterly disappointed Dwayne that Marcel Proust decided late in his life that suffering had made him stronger. This is a decidedly artistic point of view which may not be applicable to non-artists. One famous author, when asked what was the key to his success, said, “an unhappy childhood.” Many artists can trace the wellspring of their creativity to tragedy and sadness. Perhaps that is why they like to inflict their inner sadness upon others through their created works. Happily, in this film, the underlying dark themes of death and suicide are leavened with sweetness, love, humor, and even hope (even though it may be only foolish hope).

The screenplay, by Michael Arndt, is very well written and the acting is great, especially by young miss Abigail Breslin. She is wonderful. The cinematography is good, too, taking full advantage of the scenic western landscapes along the road. This film is not for all tastes. There is some foul language and some serious themes that you usually don't see in a comedy, like death, suicide, homosexuality, pornography and marital strife. That's why the “R” rating. Quality-wise, this film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2006 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)