"Little Miss Sunshine" Review

The first time I saw a preview for this film seemed to be months ago, but I immediately knew I wanted to see it. Unfortunately, with it being a Sundance Film Festival favorite-type film, it took awhile to reach theaters around the area.

The film stars Greg Kinnear, Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, amongst others. It takes you on a family journey that revolves around Kinnear and Collete's daughter being invited to a beauty pageant in California. The girl's grandfather gets her ready for a dancing routine that the judges, audience, and viewers will never forget.

Kinnear's actual job title is never known, but he's either a professor, a motivational speaker, or a teacher who has a course in bettering one's life. His job is to drive everyone crazy (including the viewers) and he does a fantastic job in doing just that. Early on in the film, I wanted to smack him upside the head a few times, because the guy is obsessed with his speech and his "method" for bettering oneself. The motivational speech isn't just used in the classroom, but used at home, outside the home, even at restaurants. How Toni Collette stayed with the guy and had a child with him I haven't the slightest idea. I can just imagine the guy making the child with her. He'd be talking non-stop, "Okay, we can do this better. I know we can. Come on honey! You can do better than that! You are better than that. Say it with me! I'm better than that! Come on honey! I'm better than that! Oh, you're done? Oh okay, hold on a sec."

Toni Collette is the referee of the household. She's somehow able to tame her husband's motivational attitude and able to create the peace between he, she, their daughter, their son, and Kinnear's father. The daughter has an obsession for winning the beauty pageant and being Miss America someday. The grandfather, when he's not snorting coke, is either complaining about the food they're eating or helping his granddaughter with her dancing. The son has taken an ode not to speaking until he's accepted at flight school. When he wants to communicate, he busts out a pen and paper to do so.

Finally, there's Steve Carrell. You probably know the guy best from the likes of "Anchorman," "The 40-Year Old Virgin," or even the Emmy-Award Winning Comedy "The Office." He's the brother of Collette, a man who's dealing with some problems and has to be looked after for a while, so Collette and her family agree to do so.

The movie is very character-driven and every actor does a fine job in this dramedy. This is definitely Carrell's best work as an actor thus far in his career and as usual, Kinnear and Collette do a great job. The younger actors in the film also give solid performances.

The comedy in this film is rather dark, but funny. There are moments where even people not so keen on dark comedies will laugh. I laughed throughout the film. But, not only is the film quite humorous, it's also a solid piece of filmmaking and storytelling. There isn't a dry or dull spot in the film. It flew by like a Ferrari on the Autobahn. There are a few dramatic moments, some more so than others, but a good counterbalance of humor to keep one's mood from tilting downward much at any given point.

This may be a film that some could watch and say, "What was the point?" much in the same way I've heard a few respond to "The Royal Tenenbaums." Well, I for one enjoyed "The Royal Tenenbaums," but think "Little Miss Sunshine" was the more humorous and enjoyable of the two films. There's a very simple, but important point to the film. Families can be very diverse in behavior and attitude. There can be tension and hatred at times between members of the family. There will be ups and downs from start to finish. But, in the end, when we need our family the most, more than likely, they'll be there for us to spread their warmth, care, and love. It's difficult for me to grade a film like this, but I will try to do so. Regardless, I highly recommend this film.

Overall Grade: 8/10