Little Miss Sunshine (2006) May 2, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
This sublime character comedy became a regular at award shows and ceremonies last year, which was quite an achievement given that it was made by first-time feature directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, and written by a first-time screenplay writer, Michael Arndt. Apparently, experience means nothing in this game.
The story takes you on a road trip with an idiosyncratic family, travelling to California so that the daughter, Olive, can take part in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. On the way careers fall apart, dreams are broken, past-feelings are brought to the surface and a grandfather does cocaine. To say more than that might ruin the journey for you, so I’ll leave it there.
For me, the most positive aspect of the film is highlighted by the way it presents you with such a typical ‘dysfunctional family’ set-up, but then manages to steer clear of being a total cliché. I’m not sure if it’s the human elements introduced by the fantastic script, or the neat nuances that each performer brings to his or her role that help this movie achieve above and beyond the range of most character pieces. The truth is, it’s probably both.
The principal cast is outstanding, so much so that it seems unfair to exclude anybody from the kudos. Greg Kinnear plays the overbearing father figure with great skill, while Toni Collette is a caring mother who wants the best for everyone but struggles to deal with such a bizarre group. Oscar-winning Alan Arkin has a fun character in the drug-taking, foul-mouthed grandfather figure, who plays opposites to Paul Dano as the emotionally confused teenager. The real revelations however are Steve Carrell playing slightly against type as a post-suicide-attempt unappreciated professor, and Abigail Bresline, who brings a lot of warmth and heart to her central role of Olive.
As already mentioned, the script is fantastic, moving from laugh-out-loud funny to surprisingly touching without ever showing the join. The direction too is outstanding, especially for two directors with a music video and television background; they certainly don’t show it. There are some really nice wide-shots, sometimes used for comic effect and sometimes just to give a feeling a space, a welcome change after the confines of the driving scenes. It’s also a very bright movie in terms of colour, which helps give it that sense of light-heartedness and vulnerability that comedies such as this require.
One minor criticism about the piece is that some of the character threads are exposed, but never quite fully resolved or even given nod towards their future direction (Greg Kinnear’s character suffers this fate). But it’s such a nicely structured movie, that in the end you don’t come away feeling like you’ve not reached a fitting conclusion.
If you can’t already tell, I really enjoyed this film. Even with the expectation that was surrounding it, I found the characters interesting, the script funny, and the simple storyline kept my interest throughout. It’s clear why this so-called ‘indie flick’ made an appearance at last years Oscars. While many of these quirky family films will shut the audience out, being a little too bizarre or unrelatable to really make you feel a part of the experience, Little Miss Sunshine never lets go of its characters’ core humanity. There’s an extra seat on that bus just for you, and I suggest you take the ride.
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