"Fuck a lotta women kid. I have no reason to lie to you. Not just one, a LOTTA women. "
This movie was one big surprise for me. I expected a quirky family comedy driven along by the humor of Steve Carell and Greg Kinnear. What I got was a heartwrenching, depressing and dark comedy that leaves you thinking about it for a long while after you see it. I felt all warm and tingly on the inside after I first saw this movie, it's that good.
The story is about a little girl named Olive Hoover, who gets accepted into the Little Miss Sunshine pageant through default, and what it takes for her and her family to get there. Each member of the family has their own obstacles to overcome and trials to go through, and their trip from Arizona to California proves to be a turning point of sorts in all their lives. It's also a look into the psychotic world of beauty pageants. Once the family gets there, they start to realize just how out of place they are.
Its directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, whos body of work includes basically a bunch of music video documentaries and Little Miss Sunshine. They took a risk venturing out of their genre into the realm of feature films, but thank god they did. Together they collaborated and created something not only entertaining, but hopeful, original, melancholy, relatable, hilarious and completely heartwarming. Please make more films Jon and Valerie. This one proves you've got the skills to pay the bills.
The first draft of the script was written by Michael Arndt in three days, though like most scripts, re-writes and some tweakings were in order. The finished draft delivers a humor that's the "The Big Lebowski" meets "Sideways" meets "Election". Arndt's characters are deliciously depressing and pathetic, yet embodied with hope and the ability to overcome their unsatisfying situations. The actions of his characters are off-the-wall and almost slapstick but still realistic and identifiable. The dialogue is not only funny but witty, intelligent and unexpected. A very unique story that gave this movie the ability to be what it is. And though the writing is top notch, it's the actors who act out this script so perfectly that seals the deal.
Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, In Her Shoes) plays Sheryl Hoover, the mom of the family. Sheryl is trying to hold together her family, which includes innocent Olive, potty mouthed Grandpa, her silent son Dwayne, her suicidal brother Frank and her failing husband Richard. Sheryl wears many hats; mother, sister, wife, daughter, and Collette takes on each aspect and avenue of her character perfectly. She's a cool mom, relaxed and carefree, yet protective. She puts up with a lot from her family, but like a true mother, loves them unconditionally. There aren't a lot of jokes thrown Sheryl's way in the script, but what little ones there are, are effective and wonderfully sarcastic. I've always enjoyed Collette as an actress and this role did nothing to dampen that. I hope to see her more in the future.
Abigail Breslin, bless her beautiful little heart, plays Olive Hoover. Olive is seven years old. She's a little chubby, wears wide rimmed and thick lensed glasses, and wants nothing more in life then to be a beauty queen. Olive placed second in a pageant out in California when she was visiting her aunt, and when she gets a call from her aunt saying that because one of the contestants from the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant got disqualified for diet pills and that Olive got her slot, Olive flips out. She rushes through the house screaming with joy, packing all of her stuff. A big fight erupts between Sheryl and Richard about how they are going to make the trip to Redondo Beach, CA. They decide to drive it, but it takes some convincing to get Dwayne to go. He goes despite his anger, for his little sister, though he promises he won't have any fun, to which Frank wholly agrees. Everyone sucks it up and gets in the car and they all do it for Olive. Sweet Olive, innocent to the judgmental world around her and only concerned with being herself.
Abigail is nothing short of amazing. Absolutely amazing. I know she's a kid and she's playing a kid so it must come naturally, but she goes above and beyond with her performance. She plays this wannabe beauty queen with such enthusiasm and conviction, you just want to scoop her up in a big hug and never let go. She owns this movie. She not only holds her own in a cast of seasoned veterans, but she puts them to shame. She definitely deserved her Oscar nomination, but it was probably best that she didn't get the win. Kids need to be kids and the attention she would have received if she had won, would only have interrupted her childhood. I can only imagine her getting the news of her nomination. She probably went and celebrated at Chuck E' Cheese or got ice cream or something. I loved her in Signs. She was my favorite part of that whole movie. I left the theatre wondering who the hell that little girl was who played Bo and where did she come from. Now I know. It was Abigail, and her role as Olive Hoover proves that she's here to stay.
Dwayne, Olive's brother, played by Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Taking Lives) has taken a vow of silence. He spends his days in silent solitude training his body and mind for boot camp. He plans to go into the Air Force so he can fly jets when he turns 18. He is depressed, unsatisfied with his life, and just basically pissed at the world. He hates everyone. All he wants is to be left alone. Pretty standard for your typical 15 year old. He enamors himself in the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, which can only add to his pessimistic and near nihilistic outlook on the word. He hides himself behind a thick head of dark hair and wears shirts emblazoned with slogans like "Jesus Was Wrong" and headshots of Big Brother. Paul Dano is perfect as Dwayne. The first 3/4 of the movie or so, he is in complete silence. Doesn't say one word, and yet, he captivates you. His body languages, his eyes, his facial expressions, all are perfect. His take on a misunderstood and angry teenager is uncanny. The turning point in the movie where Dwayne starts speaking again just crushes you. Just when you think shit can't go any worse for this ragtag group of failures and fuckups, it does. Paul Dano makes you laugh, makes you sad and shocks you. All the emotions your typical teenager will erupt in you.
Up until I saw this movie, I had only seen Steve Carell in comedic roles like Anchorman and The Office. I figured I'd be in for the same hilarious Steve Carell I usually see. I was surprised to find something completely different from Steve. He's funny, no doubt, but his performance is also dark, sad and just amazing. I feel he deserved an Oscar nod at the least, if not a win. Steve plays Frank, Sheryl's brother. Frank just attempted suicide. We first see him in the hospital where Sheryl is coming to pick him up so he can come stay with the family, having lost his job, his home and nearly his life. Frank is sitting alone in his hospital room, staring expressionless out the window from his wheelchair. Sheryl gives her brother a hug saying how happy she is that he is still with them. "Well, that makes one of us," is his reply. Frank isn't glad he survived his suicide. He just sees it as one more thing he has failed at in his life. The events leading up to his suicide are just heartbreaking and you can fully understand why he tried to take his own life. He and Duane hit it off pretty quick. Two kindred spirits stuck in the hell that is their own lives, they gravitate towards each other, sharing their hatred and disgust for the world around them. Some of the best scenes in the movie are the ones between Paul Dano and Steve. Their chemistry is awesome. Every one in the movie really clicks well with each other, but these two definitely stood out for me. I wish Carell would do more roles like these; dark and dramatic, yet still filled with that wonderful Steve Carell humor.
Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets, Stuck On You) plays Richard Hoover, a going broke motivational speaker of sorts who is desperately trying to peddle his 9 Step Program to Self Success. To say Richard brings his work home would be an understatement. He constantly refers to his 9 Step program throughout his day, spouting off phrases like "apologizing is a sign of weakness" and "sarcasm is the refuge of losers". Winning and losing is one of the main focuses in this movie. What Richard doesn't realize, but what he soon comes to, is that life has its ups and downs. You can't be on top forever. Nevertheless he tries to instill his manic obsession of winning into his daughter Olive, since no one else gives a shit. One scene in particular is just absolutley insane. The family is taking a break from the road to get some food, and Olive orders Waffles A' La Mode. Richard begins explaining to Olive that ice cream is a very fatty food and that by eating it she might get fatter, thus losing her chances at being a successful beauty queen....What father says this to their seven year old daughter? Its enough to make you want to reach in and ring his neck, which says a lot about Kinnears performance. Any body that can make you want to punch their eyes in, while at the same time making you laugh and keeping you entertained is clearly doing their job right.
Alan Arkin (Gattaca, Slums of Beverly Hills) is the potty mouth Grandpa of the group. Alan Arkin, simply put, is the shit: the absolute shit. He deserved every ounce of the Oscar he won for this role. Grandpa Ed cusses like there's no tomorrow, snorts heroin, and fiercely loves his granddaughter. Having been kicked out of Sunset Manor Retirement Home for his illicit recreational nasal activities, he's forced to move in with his son Richard and his family. He constantly complains about how sweet life was at Sunset Manor, how there were 4 girls to every guy and that he had "second degree burns on his johnson" as a result, and that he is now forced to "sleep on a fucking sofa." Nevertheless, he loves his family and Arkin brings not only Ed's love, but his erratic and out of hand behavior to the forefront of his performance magnificently. Some of the funniest lines in the movie (the quote above being one of them) come out of Arkins mouth. Arndt wrote this character so wonderfully. You never know what Grandpa is going to say next. His and Abigails chemistry is like sugar and spice. Their characters are at opposite ends of the spectrum; old, young, sweet, sour, joyful, cynical..and yet they go together like jelly and an old, crabby, drug abusing peanut butter. Since Grandpa is Olive's beauty coach and choreographer, a lot of time is spent between these two and each moment is precious. Like I said, Arkin deserved every molecule in that Oscar, and more. No matter how many times I see this movie, I still nearly piss myself whenever Grandpa Ed says something. He takes his character and goes above and beyond. Genuinely, a one of a kind performance.
Little Miss Sunshine also houses a wonderful supporting cast. Veteran actress Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men, Donnie Darko) plays the manic, obsessive, deranged and rule crazy pageant official, but don't worry, she gets hers. Olives' final performance is one big Fuck You to the pageant industry (and the world) in general. Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle, Breaking Bad) one of my favorite, and I feel, one of the most underrated and under used actors of our time, plays Stan Grossman, who, if your head is filled with as much mundane and trivial nonsense as mine is, will remember as being the business partner to Wade Gustafson in the black comedy by the Coen Brothers, "Fargo". Since "Fargo", Stan has lost some weight and grown some hair back, but he's still wheeling and dealing. He is trying to help get Richards 9 Step program off the ground, but despite his efforts, it just wont take. Cranston doesn't play a major role, he only has maybe a minute of screen time, but his role is very effective in contributing to Richards' plotline and the line of the entire story. Please Hollywood, I beg of you, put Bryan Cranston in more movies.
All in all, Little Miss Sunshine gives me hope for the human race. Its one of those movies that immediately after you finish watching it the first time, you start it right over again. It also has one of the best endings to any movie I have ever seen. I find the overall message to be basically fuck you. Fuck you society and your fucked up standards. Giving the finger to the world's twisted and sick expectations and just letting go and being free as you. It may take the characters in this film the better part of an hour and a half or so to figure that out, but once they do, they are all better off. Each one has their own dream or fantasy of how their life should be, and each sees themself as a loser in one way or another because their lives aren't following their fantasies. What they find out is you just have to learn when to say fuck it, and just go with the flow and be who you are. Pretty much, they all learn to be a bit more like Olive.
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