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Movie Review

'Little Miss Sunshine': You’re Either on the Family Bus, or You’re Off

By Manohla Dargis

July 26, 2006

Correction Appended

The family that pops Prozac together stays together, perhaps, but the family that piles into an old Volkswagen bus the color of a banana surely has more entertainment value. That at least seems true of the happily (for us) unhappy relations at the center of the bittersweet comedy of dysfunction “Little Miss Sunshine,” a tale about genuine faith and manufactured glory that unwinds in the American Southwest, but more rightly takes place at the terminus of the American dream, where families are one bad break away from bankruptcy.

Written by the newcomer Michael Arndt, and directed by the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, seasoned music-video directors making an effortless feature-film debut, “Little Miss Sunshine” relates the story of the Hoovers, just around the time that the youngish, harried Sheryl (Toni Collette) takes her suicidal brother, Frank (Steve Carell), under her wing. (“I’m glad you’re here,” she says. “That makes one of us,” he answers.) Straight from the hospital, Frank moves in with Sheryl’s family, including her 7-year-old daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin); teenage son, Dwayne (Paul Dano); husband, Richard (Greg Kinnear); and father-in-law, a heroin-tooting crank simply called Grandpa (Alan Arkin).

The bandages on Frank’s wrists are as fresh as his wounds when he enters the Hoovers’ fold, a dim burrow filled with clutter and noise. Eccentric families are a mainstay of comedy, and at least in their schematized personalities (the sullen son, the desperate dad), the Hoovers are not much different from most, despite the vials of white powder tucked in Grandpa’s fanny pack. They may be more downmarket than Wes Anderson’s Tenenbaums and a lot scruffier than the average big-studio clan. (Their kitchen looks as if it hasn’t been remodeled since Alice slaved for the Bradys.) But like most American comedy families, they are also a familiar social microcosm, a group of radically individualized souls in search of one another.

The means to that end is the competition of the film’s title, a child beauty pageant called Little Miss Sunshine. Soon after Frank moves in, Olive, a dumpling of a child with oversize glasses and a seemingly endless reserve of optimism, receives unexpected word that she has been invited to compete in Little Miss Sunshine, just days away. Short of cash if not bright ideas, Richard decides to pile the fractious, reluctant brood into the family’s antique VW bus so that Olive can live out her dream and prove herself a winner. Much like Steinbeck’s Joads, the Beverly Hillbillies and millions of other westward-ho pioneers, the notably named Hoovers set a course for California, the land of sunshine, bleached teeth and eternal promise, leaving dusty Albuquerque behind.

“Little Miss Sunshine” doesn’t look particularly ambitious, in terms of either its narrative or its function-over-form visual style. But tucked in between all the hurt and the jokes, the character development and the across-the-board terrific performances is a surprisingly sharp look at contemporary America, one that sets the metaphor of the stage (and, by extension, competition) against the cherished myth of the open road. Like her father, who’s peddling a get-rich scheme, and like her brother, who yearns to fly the coop by becoming a jet pilot, Olive lives in a fantasy world that has become more real than her own life. When she watches a video of Miss America accepting her tiara, the image flickers in her eyeglasses, but it might as well be projected on her frontal lobe.

It’s on the road that the Hoovers first lose and then find themselves, both as individuals and as a family. There is engine trouble, naturally, which leads to a delightful sight gag that involves Richard tucked behind the wheel as the rest of the family pushes — then scrambles inside — the bus. An emblem of an earlier, possibly more freewheeling era, this temporary mobile home seems an unlikely vehicle for transformation, but it takes the Hoovers across state lines and through a series of emotional and psychological roadblocks. In between the fast-food joints, hot tears and hurled insults, there are wide-open spaces and a suggestion of freedom along with a sign for the “Carefree Highway,” an actual state route that here seems more like a cruel joke.

For the most part, the jokes and the sensibility are more kind than not in “Little Miss Sunshine,” which motors forward on the strength of its seamless ensemble and direction, and its touching human comedy. Mr. Arndt unleashes scads of deftly funny one-liners and situations, the best of which float along on sheer absurdity, like the collision between some pornographic rags and Marcel Proust. The jokes don’t land as lightly when they come with a message tied to the punch line, especially as the Hoovers near the Little Miss Sunshine competition, a ghastly spectacle that features underage fleshpots writhing to pounding beats while weighed down by sequins and parental vainglory. Graham Greene’s description of Shirley Temple’s appeal as “interestingly decadent” could not be more apt.

However true to life, the Little Miss Sunshine competition comes accompanied by a whiff of class snobbishness. Richard weighs in as a total middle manager, the type of man who has read one too many self-help books. But, as the nods to Proust and Nietzsche suggest — and that VW bus, with its intimation of 1960’s rebellion, underscores — the Hoovers are clearly not meant to be cut from the same tacky cloth as the rest of the pageant parents, who smother their daughters in spray-on bronzer and expectation. In a different film, one not as generous of spirit (or funny), that snobbishness might seem insufferable. Yet there’s a melancholy here that clings to this family, which however triumphant and united, may well remain stuck in the national Hooversville located at the crossroads of hope and despair.

“Little Miss Sunshine” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). The film has some salty language, but nothing anyone sentient hasn’t heard before.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Opens today in New York and Los Angeles.

Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; written by Michael Arndt; director of photography, Tim Suhrstedt; edited by Pamela Martin; music by Mychael Danna; production designer, Kalina Ivanov; produced by Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa; released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Running time: 101 minutes.

WITH: Greg Kinnear (Richard), Toni Collette (Sheryl), Steve Carell (Frank), Paul Dano (Dwayne), Abigail Breslin (Olive) and Alan Arkin (Grandpa).

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Little miss sunshine, common sense media reviewers.

Ride along to dysfunction in quirky indie comedy.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Family members argue, lie to each other, discuss s

References to suicide (Frank's cut wrists/bandages

Grandfather alludes to sexual desire and acts; Fra

Around 10 "f--k"s, as well as other mild profanity

Mostly references to or brief shots of food produc

Sheryl smokes cigarettes; Grandpa refers to cocain

Positive Messages

Family members argue, lie to each other, discuss suicide, sex, and death. But they also comfort each other and support each other when it really counts.

Violence & Scariness

References to suicide (Frank's cut wrists/bandages are visible, and Dwayne threatens to kill himself); some slapsticky antics; a character dies in his sleep, and the body plays a role in the rest of the movie.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Grandfather alludes to sexual desire and acts; Frank purchases porn magazines (gay and straight); Olive's suggestive performance at the pageant (taught to her by her grandfather) upsets the pageant officials.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Around 10 "f--k"s, as well as other mild profanity.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Mostly references to or brief shots of food products (fried chicken, Sprite, McDonald's, Burger King, Coca-Cola), plus Miata, Volkswagen.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Sheryl smokes cigarettes; Grandpa refers to cocaine and heroin use and is shown snorting drugs once.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Little Miss Sunshine is a hilarious but mature family road trip movie. It includes sexual slang and references to drugs, mostly by the grandfather. Gay and straight pornographic magazines (only the covers are shown) and a comedic striptease figure into the plot. Characters discuss depression and suicide (Uncle Frank has cut his wrists before the movie starts; his bandages are visible). There are conversations about "winning" and "losing," as measured by financial success. A character dies about halfway through the film; the family wraps up his body and carries it in their van to their destination. Characters curse (several "f--k"s), and the mother smokes a couple of cigarettes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (22)
Kids say (61)

Based on 22 parent reviews

Beautifully important and touching, perfect for young teens

What's the story.

The Hoover family decides to make the trip from Albuquerque to Southern California after starry-eyed daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) unexpectedly scores a spot in the regional Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. The whole clan -- sunny Olive; anxious mom Sheryl ( Toni Collette ); aspiring motivational speaker dad Richard ( Greg Kinnear ); feisty, drug-using Grandpa ( Alan Arkin ); cynical teen Dwyane (Paul Dano); and gay, suicidal Proust scholar Uncle Frank ( Steve Carell ) -- piles into their old yellow Volkswagen bus (which has become the movie's signature image) and hits the road. Naturally, that road is full of all kinds of obstacles -- including car trouble, lots of bickering, and even an unexpected death. But in the process of working together to help Olive make it to the pageant, the Hoovers come to understand each other anew ... or at least appreciate the fact that no one else could possibly understand them except each other.

Is It Any Good?

This is a delightful film with a funny, tight script. It's true that the family road trip comedy isn't exactly a new genre; nor are quirky indie movies about dysfunctional families all that hard to come by. But somehow LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE manages to combine the two into something fresh, engaging, and often hilarious -- with a dash of "aw shucks" poignancy to boot. There's nothing radically new in terms of storytelling or character development, but the film nonetheless succeeds, thanks in part to its excellent cast (husband-and-wife directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris lucked out, casting Carell just before he hit it really big with The 40-Year-Old Virgin ). There aren't any wasted moments in this movie; even the smallest action -- Frank buying the dirty magazines, for example -- turns out to matter down the line.

And then there's the finale. Ever since Little Miss Sunshine premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival (and was purchased for a record $10.5 million), the big beauty pageant finish has been making audiences laugh until they cry -- which is pretty much how the Hoovers seem to approach life in general, so it all works out in the end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the way the Hoovers come to respect one another's differences. How does young Olive remind the adults of their lack of faith, innocence, and commitment?

How does the beauty pageant serve as a metaphor for other competitions in the film -- say, between family members?

How might Richard be more open to his family's needs, rather than trying to make them conform to his?

Why do you think this movie -- a little indie discovered at the Sundance Film Festival -- did so well with audiences? What's it's appeal?

Movie Details

In theaters : July 26, 2006
On DVD or streaming : December 19, 2006
Cast : Abigail Breslin , Greg Kinnear , Steve Carell , Toni Collette
Directors : Jonathan Dayton , Valerie Faris
Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors
Studio : Fox Searchlight
Genre : Comedy
Run time : 101 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : for language, some sex and drug content
Last updated : April 2, 2024

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Little Miss Sunshine Reviews

...a continuously engrossing endeavor that gets off to a memorable (and instantly-captivating) start...

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jul 3, 2023

The best film of 2006.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 14, 2020

The most unlikely (and effective) feelgood movie you might ever see.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 11, 2020

The movie hearkens back to the best of 1970s comedies like Michael Ritchie's Smile.

Full Review | May 12, 2020

First-time screenwriter Michael Arndt's script hits all the right notes, with a first-rate cast that makes this among the year's very best films.

Full Review | Nov 20, 2019

Little Miss Sunshine is one of the film festival gems that is just as smart and funny so many years later.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 26, 2019

Like a little ray of sunshine in a world of bland, boring, reheated movies that clog up the arteries of our nation's theaters.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jun 5, 2019

The best thing about American cinema is that besides the studio-assembled big ticket movies, there's also the flourishing indie film movement which keeps throwing up some delightfully refreshing movies.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 24, 2019

The film is strictly paint by numbers, although in a slick and polished way. You barely notice you're being manipulated.

Full Review | Aug 23, 2017

Sentimental low points and contrived idiosyncrasies aside, Little Miss Sunshine still boasts wonderful performances, a cheeky sense of humor and an original story.

Full Review | Aug 4, 2013

An achingly deliberately madcap family adventure that skates by thinly on the collective charms of its ensemble cast.

Full Review | May 15, 2012

While the screenplay is impressive and deserving of its recognition, it is Alan Arkin's performance-of-a-lifetime that separates this from other well-written small movies.

Full Review | Original Score: 86/100 | Oct 1, 2009

Harmless enough as passable road movies go, but I can't help but wish directors of films like these would grow some damn balls.

Full Review | Original Score: 48/100 | Sep 19, 2009

Sundance-calibrated sitcom

Full Review | Aug 30, 2009

I loved it, every bit of it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 29, 2009

Like little kids spouting dirty words in certain comedies, this film from first-time directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris undermines the subversive with the self-conscious. But it's still funny.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 23, 2009

...mediocre black comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Apr 21, 2009

This inspirational, hilariously sad dysfunctional-family-road-trip dramedy offers absolutely everything -- except pretension.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 20, 2008

A few touching and surprising moments aside, it all feels a little prefab, with family dysfunction as the indie version of a high concept.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 7, 2008

Writer Michael Arndt has cleverly captured the bribery and corruption which lie at the heart of most families.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 13, 2008

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Summary Little Miss Sunshine is an American family road comedy that shatters the mold. Brazenly satirical and yet deeply human, the film introduces audiences to one of the most endearingly fractured families in recent cinema history: the Hoovers, whose trip to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transfor ... Read More

Directed By : Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Written By : Michael Arndt

Where to Watch

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Greg Kinnear

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Edwin Hoover

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DVD & Streaming

Little Miss Sunshine

Comedy , Drama

Content Caution

In Theaters

Greg Kinnear as Richard; Toni Collette as Sheryl; Paul Dano as Dwayne; Steve Carell as Frank; Abigail Breslin as Olive; Alan Arkin as Grandpa

Home Release Date

Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Distributor

Fox Searchlight

Movie Review

Co-director Jonathan Dayton jokes that Little Miss Sunshine is a “thinking man’s National Lampoon’s Vacation .” I’ll spend most of this review attempting to explain what he means by thinking . To start off with, it means dealing with some pretty heavy material.

The film gets rolling with footage of a trying-to-hold-the-family-together mom retrieving her brother from the hospital after he attempts suicide over losing his job and his gay lover. When Sheryl gets home with the still-depressed Frank in tow, we learn that Dwayne, her teenage son, has taken a vow of silence, refusing to speak to anyone until he’s a fighter pilot. We also learn that her father-in-law gets high on heroin and can’t get enough of hard-core pornography. Hubby Richard is fighting a losing battle with his career (which involves teaching people how to win). And Olive, her sweet, overweight, 7-year-old does nothing but pretend to be a beauty queen.

At this point, while watching, I was trying to figure out how National Lampoon’s factors into a story that’s ostensibly too depressing to be funny. But, as it turns out, it’s at that intersection of desperation and farce that Little Miss Sunshine , um, shines—in a seriously tarnished metal sort of way.

Then Olive gets an unexpected call inviting her to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant in California. The Hoovers grudgingly agree to drive her there (from Albuquerque). And it turns out to be the trip of a lifetime for all of them.

Positive Elements

Annoyingly (and somewhat predictably), it’s the most depraved character who doles out the most nuggets of wisdom. Grandpa steadfastly communicates to Olive that she is beautiful inside and out, especially when she’s concerned that she might be ugly and fat. He also teaches her that “a real loser is somebody who is so afraid of not winning they don’t even try.” When Richard’s entrepreneurial venture begins to crumble, it’s Grandpa who showers him with compliments for giving it a good try—something he claims not many people bother doing.

But it’s not really the verbal lessons that make the most impact here. It’s the subtle stuff that’s woven more deeply into the interplay. Olive is pretty much the only family member who doesn’t change as the wheels of their aging VW microbus go round and round. But, then, she’s pretty much the only one who doesn’t need to change. Frank gradually pulls out of his suicidal funk as he begins to care less about himself and more about the people around him. In numerous little ways the nihilism- and Nietzsche-loving Dwayne betrays his stated hatred for “everyone!” and comes through for his little sister in a big way when it really matters. (He also apologizes soon after screaming obscenities at his mom.) Dad figures out that he needs to loosen up on his overly ambitious commitment to winning. And Mom is forced to grapple with her habit of worrying too much.

Those elements make selflessness the main positive point in Little Miss Sunshine . And it’s made clear that for a family to function, members have to figure out how to display it.

Spiritual Elements

Dwayne wears a T-shirt that screams, “Jesus Was Wrong.” In a time of crisis, Mom prepares the kids for the worst by telling them that if God wants something to happen, they’ll have to be OK with that. Olive asks Frank if he thinks there’s a heaven. He says he doesn’t know, to which Olive counters that she’s sure there is, and that she’s sure he’ll go there.

Sexual Content

In a frustratingly long and depressingly vulgar scene, Grandpa drills into Dwayne the “importance” of sleeping (and that’s not his term for it) with “lots” of women, especially while he is still a teenager. [ Spoiler Warning ] It turns out that Grandpa also teaches Olive how to perform a strip tease. And she proceeds to do so for the talent portion of the pageant. She doesn’t take off anything that exposes “skin,” but she does mimic a series of sexually oriented moves, ripping off her costume hat, pants and jacket in the process.

The scene is maddening. I was furious with her grandfather for splashing sleaze all over her innocent 7-year-old spirit. And pulling myself out of the story, I was furious with the movie’s makers for using such a young girl for such a purpose—and with her parents for letting her do it. The sight is intended to tweak children’s beauty pageants which often objectify and adultify girls, but it left me actually sympathizing with the snootily horrified stage moms, not the Hoover family, which unanimously defends Olive’s “moves.”

Grandpa is obsessed with sex and porn. He makes several obscene remarks about his own sexual activities, and he asks Frank to buy him some “really filthy” pornography at a convenience store. Frank does so. (We see the cover of one magazine up close.). And he also buys himself a gay-themed “fag rag.” Later, when Richard is pulled over by a police officer, the officer finds the magazines and drools over them. “I love this stuff, God bless ya,” he says, and in the end he takes them as a bribe of sorts for letting the family go on its way. (The camera again takes a look at some of the nearly nude models; this time it lingers.)

Violent Content

Frustrated and angry, Dwayne loses control and punches at the windows, seats and ceiling of the van. Sticking up for his daughter, Richard physically grapples with the pageant’s emcee, who tries to get Olive to stop her routine. Richard also crashes the van through parking lot barriers.

Frank’s suicide attempt is not witnessed, but the subject is discussed when Olive expresses concern over the bandages on his wrists.

Crude or Profane Language

Thirty-plus f-words (some spoken by a teen and used sexually). A handful of s-words. God’s name is abused a dozen times. Jesus’ four times. Milder profanities include “d–n,” “a–” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Grandpa is twice observed snorting heroin. A conversation related to his drug abuse illuminates his twisted thinking: It’s OK for him to use the potentially lethal substance because he’s old and close to death, anyway. But it’s not OK for Dwayne to indulge, because he’s still young. Sheryl smokes cigarettes, but it’s implied that Richard has been urging her to quit.

Other Negative Elements

Dad gets lost along the way to trying to convince Olive she shouldn’t eat so much ice cream because it’ll make her fatter. [ Spoiler Warning ] When one of the family members dies, the rest of the clan smuggle the body out of the hospital and deposit it in the back of the van Weekend At Bernie’s -style so as not to be late to the pageant.

Just because Dwayne begins to care about his family doesn’t mean he’s suddenly become a productive member of society. Throughout the film he remains fully committed to his “f— everything and everyone” philosophy.

The oft-stated rationale behind why Little Miss Sunshine has more than enough antisocial content to earn an R rating is that, in the words of producer Albert Berger, this is how “families really interact and love one another.” Star Steve Carell adds, “This is how families are. It’s not all puppy dogs and ice cream all the time. It can get ugly, and it can get sad, and it can get funny, and that’s how life really is.”

There’s no denying that life is sad and ugly and funny, sometimes all at once. So it’s not my task here to debate Carell’s and Berger’s statements. What is my task is dealing with whether such truthfulness should be used as an excuse to fill up a film with better than 50 profanities and obscenities. And depictions of illegal drug abuse. And exhortations for teens to have as much sex as they possibly can. Because those things, along with the heartbreaking sight of a 7-year-old putting on a sex show, are exactly what happens here.

Tears welled up in my eyes when the Hoovers banded together and finally bonded in the minutes before the credits. I felt for them. I understood them at that moment. And I was rooting wholeheartedly for them to come out on the other side as better people and as a more intact family. But I couldn’t stand the fact that their journey toward maturity and selflessness came at Olive’s expense. To make a compelling, artistic, emotional, funny movie, screenwriter Michael Arndt didn’t have to make the climax revolve around a child imitating a striptease. He didn’t have to include a grandfather who in real life, and with all due consideration to family unity, should have long ago been separated from the lives of his grandchildren because of his incredibly immoral and dangerous behavior and influence. And he didn’t have to punctuate every point with an f-word.

Call this, then, the Little Miss Indie Film That Hates Sunshine. “Without all the things we loved about it—the raunchy language, the outrageous behavior—it would have been the perfect family comedy,” says its co-director Valerie Faris. “But we wanted to make a film not about family values, but about the value of family.”

It shouldn’t be so easy to separate the two.

Steven Isaac

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‘Little Miss Sunshine’ at 15 – Review

Little miss sunshine (2006) directors: jonathan dayton, valerie faris screenwriter: michael arndt starring: steve carell, toni collette, greg kinnear, abigail breslin, paul dano, alan arkin, bryan cranston, beth grant.

As wonderful as it is, 15 years on Little Miss Sunshine has a lot to answer for. The “quirky Sundance comedy-drama” seemed to gain a lot of traction after the successful debut of this film in 2006, anything matching gallows humour with whimsy, eccentric characters drifting through life or nowhere in particular, and a relatable but unique balance of tone and heart, was proven popular and therefore financially viable – just look at films like The Diary of a Teenage Girl , Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Swiss Army Man for evidence of this trend at Sundance continuing to the present. Little Miss Sunshine was a critically acclaimed multi-award winner, including two Oscars (for Michael Arndt’s screenplay and Alan Arkin’s supporting performance), but how does it play a decade-and-a-half on?

LIttle Miss Sunshine follows the Hoover family who embark on a road trip from New Mexico to California in order for young Olive (Abigail Breslin) to achieve her dream of competing in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, along the way confronting their own failures and what makes them a unique and inseparable family unit.

From the film’s first shot of Olive’s big, hopeful eyes reflecting the light of the television screen, we’re 100% with the young girl and hopeful of her achieving her dreams. Incredibly Breslin was only nine when she performed this role, and two years younger when she auditioned, yet she manages to bring with her both the childlike energy required and a maturity beyond her years. Olive is the family keystone and Breslin completely embodies that.

There’s no wonder really that Olive’s life goals are like they are – she’s got a (failing) motivational speaker for a dad, a driven brother, a forceful mum, an encouraging granddad and a sensitive uncle who surround, support and hinder her in equal measure and in various ways.

The Hoover family is, incredibly, made up entirely of actors who are always the best thing in whatever they’re in. Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Steve Carell: what an ensemble this is.

This was one of the first times we saw serious Steve Carell, and it’s among his best dramatic work as uncle Frank, an academic who suffered a rapid series of serious personal and professional setbacks and so tried to take his own life, Kinnear’s Richard insensitively pointing out that he failed even at doing that. Richard is the kind of guy who introduces himself to his own brother-in-law like they’re meeting for the first time at a conference (“Hi, Frank, Richard”). Richard plans everything obsessively and is out to win, whatever the cost. Arkin’s granddad Edwin in contrast is a proponent of trying your best and all for taking risks.

T heir temperamental and ancient mustard yellow VW minivan that can only get going from a rolling start, gets its asthmatic horn jammed on, and can only go from 3rd to 4th gear, becomes the 6th valued member of this dysfunctional family of losers.

When writing Richard Hoover, Michael Arndt was apparently inspired by interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger psyching himself up before his bodybuilding contests. The clash in the Hoover family outlook towards competition and achievement, represented by Richard and Edwin, is “Winners don’t give up” vs “A real loser is someone who’s so afraid of not winning they don’t try”. The real secret is probably to be found somewhere in between these two extremes, but as long as Olive feels supported, and her confidence and self-belief is boosted, what does it really matter how her family help her achieve what she achieves?

Sooner rather than later each Hoover finds themselves at their lowest point: Frank’s failed suicide attempt is trumped by being caught by the man of his dreams buying straight porn at a petrol station; Richard’s much ballyhooed book deal falls through spectacularly within a minute of this and he has to finally face being the loser he has spent his life talking himself around admitting; Olive has her confidence knocked multiple times over her journey, often by her own insensitive, over-competitive dad; older brother Dwayne’s dedication to his vow of silence until he can join the air force hits an unavoidable snag; and at least one member of the clan doesn’t get to complete their journey at all.

Just when all seems lost, dreams have been shattered and hearts broken, everyone bands together as a family to finish what they started and give Olive her shot. As Paul Dano’s Dwayne so memorably puts it before their last-ditch effort: “F*** beauty contests… life is one beauty contest after another”.

It’s hard to believe the finale caused some mutterings of controversy at the time. It’s the film’s most masterful few minutes; clever, hilarious and revolutionary. Olive’s mock striptease dance to Rick James’ “Super Freak” is far less unseemly than what so many American girls are put through in competitions like this, it’s sticking it to all the damaging and regressive ideas about what young girls should be and how they should be seen by the world. The sequence still works because of the indignant reactions of the competition’s uptight judges, who moments earlier were perfectly happy assessing a line-up of ten year-olds in swimwear. The entire Hoover family join Olive on stage and dad-dance alongside her, exposing the hypocrisies of these competitions and standing by their youngest family member in the process.

Little Miss Sunshine hasn’t aged a day. No matter what your family makeup is, you will recognise these archetypes and be moved by the warmness of the relationship dynamics and the truth of this story. Let’s not beat about the bush, the concept of junior beauty pageants, and especially the competitive parents who facilitate it, is weird and really rather creepy, but Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ film isn’t about that, not really. Little Miss Sunshine is a dark comic road movie all about family and such trivial themes as life, death, the universe and everything. One more time for those at the back… “F*** beauty contests!”.

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Film Review: ‘Little Miss Sunshine’

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris make a disarming segue into features with a quietly antic dysfunctional family road trip comedy

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Next Fall 14 years ago
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Veteran husband-and-wife musicvideo and commercials team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris make a disarming segue into features with “ Little Miss Sunshine ,” a quietly antic dysfunctional family road trip comedy that shoots down the all-American culture of the winner and offers sweet redemption for losers — or at least the ordinary folks often branded as such. Pic’s distinguished by a flawless cast, a gentle spirit of rebellion and a smart script by first-time screenwriter Michael Arndt that knows never to push its character quirks too hard. Its humanity and heart make it a natural to transcend the indie niche to a broader audience.

Within hours of its premiere at Sundance, Fox Searchlight swooped in to close a worldwide distribution deal on the film, snagging the specialty division a release that stands a chance of being molded into another crossover hit on the order of its Park City pickups “Garden State” and “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Like the broken-down VW bus that transports the Hoovers from their home in Albuquerque, N.M., on a foolhardy but determined mission to Redondo Beach, Calif., the filmmakers have an astute understanding that a family is a wildly imperfect machine, made up of ill-fitting components and prone to malfunctions minor and major.

A sharply cut opening sequence of quick character-establishing scenes underlines that this is an especially problematic clan.

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Richard ( Greg Kinnear ) is a motivational speaker on a career downslide yet stubbornly committed to his “Refuse to lose” philosophy. His wife Sheryl (Toni Collette) barely disguises her impatience with his canned claptrap, hinting at deeper marital disharmony. Their teenage son Dwayne (Paul Dano) is a Nietzsche devotee maintaining a vow of silence until he’s old enough to become a fighter pilot, while Grandpa (Alan Arkin) is a profane old horndog with a heroin habit. Newest addition to the household is Sheryl’s suicidal brother Frank ( Steve Carell ), a renowned Proust scholar who lost both the male grad student he loved and a MacArthur Foundation genius grant to a rival academic.

The family’s sole oasis of serenity and self-possession is Olive ( Abigail Breslin ), a slightly chubby, bespectacled 7-year-old with a questioning nature and a fixation on beauty pageants. Having been taught to pursue her dreams, Olive has been privately rehearsing her talent routine with Grandpa; her shot at the Little Miss Sunshine crown is the engine that drives the comedy.

There are probably few more obvious emblems of soulless success than a children’s beauty contest. And the notion that Olive would somehow get onstage without her parents having any knowledge of the act she was preparing — or any misgivings until the last minute about the potential humiliation she’s being subjected to — seems implausible. But as a chaotic, cathartic bonding experience, it works, in part because the family members are so caught up in their individual frustrations and insecurities.

During the interstate trip, punctuated by hilarious setbacks and disasters, the directors nurture the melancholy strain in Arndt’s script while subtly coaxing small signs of love and support within the Hoover family. The eccentric comic tone is deftly channeled by a cast with no weak element. As a guy who seemingly buys into the most trite prefab pop-psych blather but gradually reveals his deeper sensitivity, Kinnear has never been better, while Collette does lovely, understated work as an emotionally burdened, abraded woman whose caring nature is never in doubt.

Following “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “The Office,” Carell shows further evidence he’s the real deal with his morosely deadpan characterization. Arkin gets the best lines as the irascible oldster with no politeness filter.

Dano plays an introspective teen different from his character in “L.I.E.” Communicating only with terse notes such as “I hate everyone” for much of the movie, he’s both funny and affecting. Gracefully sidestepping all the usual traps of too-cute screen tykes, Breslin is a delight, anchoring the comedy with a balance of guilelessness and innate wisdom as a kid who marches to her own drummer.

The directors’ light, uncalculated touch with the material is echoed in the modest production’s fresh, appealingly unslick feel. Tim Suhrstedt’s widescreen lensing is notable for its agitated movement and quirky but unforced visual compositions, while the score by Mychael Danna and performers DeVotchka supplies warm, animated rhythms.

Production: A Fox Searchlight release of a Big Beach/Bonafide production. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa. Executive producers, Jeb Brody, Michael Beugg. Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. Written by Michael Arndt.
Crew: Camera (CFI color; Panavision widescreen), Tim Suhrstedt; editor, Pamela Martin; music, Mychael Danna, DeVotchka; music supervisors, Susan Jacobs, Anne Litt; production designer, Kalina Ivanov; art director, Alan E. Muraoka; set decorator, Melissa Levander; costume designer, Nancy Steiner; sound (Dolby), Steven A. Morrow; choreographer, Marguerite Derricks; associate producer, Bart Lipton; assistant director, Thomas Patrick Smith; casting, Kim Davis-Wagner, Justine Baddeley. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Premieres), Jan. 20, 2006. Running time: 102 MIN.
With: Richard - Greg Kinnear Frank - Steve Carell Sheryl - Toni Collette Grandpa - Alan Arkin Olive - Abigail Breslin Dwayne - Paul Dano

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Little Miss Sunshine Review

08 Sep 2006

102 minutes

Little Miss Sunshine

This marvellous satire of modern** **life and family values calls to mind the wit of The Simpsons and the chutzpah of Malcolm In The Middle and — defying expectation — takes on a loving and painfully recognisable emotional life.

The Hoover family’s mobile misadventure situation evokes every family road trip comedy ever, and the eccentric characters have a family resemblance to those quirky tribes beloved of indie flicks. But Michael Arndt’s script (his first produced) is a smart, feeling original that exerts a fascination all its own and continually catches you off guard.

Obsessed with being a winner, dad Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a failing motivational speaker whose glib mottoes ill conceal his desperation. Mum Sheryl (Toni Collette) is stretched full-time smoothing things over while suppressing her own anxiety and rage. Angst-ridden teen Dwayne (Paul Dano) is into Nietzsche and has taken a vow of silence, while appalling old coot Grandpa (Alan Arkin) has been kicked out of his retirement home for snorting heroin. Proust scholar Uncle Frank (Steve Carell) has just tried to kill himself, but his medical insurance has run out so he’s been tossed out of the psych ward into the bosom of his family. And then pudgy, bespectacled and wonderfully individual Olive (Abigail Breslin) gets the chance to strut her stuff in a kiddie beauty competition in California. Grandpa, it emerges, is partly to blame for setting her up for a presumed fall, telling Olive, “I love you, not because you have brains or personality, but because you’re beautiful.”

The Little Miss Sunshine pageant itself is a blood-curdling showcase for eensy, grinning poppets slathered in cosmetics and posturing like freakishly overgrown Barbie dolls. Olive’s ‘talent’ spot proves so wildly inappropriate as to be the ultimate damning statement on these paedophile parades. It’s also hysterically funny.

Making their feature debut, married co-directors Dayton and Faris (who cut their chops on videos/documentaries for the likes of REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins) strike the right tone in every mood shift and keep the focus on startlingly credible, sympathetic human beings. The comedy-with-heart never gets lame or drippy when it’s constantly set off by choice background details (a gay porn mag called Buns & Ammo ) and throwaway one-liners (a hospital functionary chirping, “Hi, I’m your Bereavement Liaison, Linda!”).

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User reviews

Little Miss Sunshine

A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
When 7 year-old Olive Hoover learns that she's qualified for the the little Miss Sunshine contest the entire family sets off in their VW camper van for the trip from Albuquerque to California. The family includes her reasonably sane mother Sheryl; her father Richard, a motivational speaker who is stressing over whether his book will be published; her brother Dwayne who is into Nietzsche and has taken a vow of silence and hasn't said a word in 9 months; her grandpa Edwin Hoover who likes to cuss; and her uncle Frank Ginsburg - Sheryl's brother - who recently tried to commit suicide. Along the way, the van breaks down, Richard learns his book won't be published and they forget Olive at a gas station. They face grief along the way but they get Olive to the pageant on time - even if the pageant itself doesn't quite go as planned. — garykmcd
More than anything, 7-year-old Olive Hoover wants to be a beauty queen. When she qualifies for the prestigious Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest, the entire family embarks on a long road trip from Albuquerque to California in their 1978 Volkswagen Station Wagon Type 2. However, the journey is anything but smooth. As Sheryl, Olive's overworked mother, struggles to be the voice of reason, Richard, her unsuccessful husband, tries to promote his self-help program. To further complicate matters, Dwayne, Sheryl's son from a previous marriage, has decided not to utter a word until he joins the Air Force Academy. At least, troubled Uncle Frank just tags along. And on the road to success, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. What has the future in store for Olive? Does she stand a chance of fulfilling her dream? — Nick Riganas
Olive is a little girl with a dream: winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so burdened with their own quirks, neuroses, and problems that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them. Olive's father Richard is a flop as a motivational speaker, and is barely on speaking terms with her mother. Olive's uncle Frank, a renowned Proust scholar, has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne, a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence, which allows him to escape somewhat from the family whose very presence torments him. And Olive's grandfather is a ne'er-do-well with a drug habit, but at least he enthusiastically coaches Olive in her contest talent routine. Circumstances conspire to put the entire family on the road together with the goal of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in far off California. — Jim Beaver <[email protected]>
The Hoover family is the dictionary definition for the word "dysfunctional". The dad Richard is a man who gives lectures on winners and losers, the wife is Sheryl, a chain-smoking, frazzled wife and working mother whose idea of a home cooked meal frequently consists of a bucket of chicken. Her gay brother Frank recently attempted suicide. The grandpa is Edwin, a drug addict. The son is Dwayne a rebel who has vowed not to talk until he gets into the Air Force. And then there is Olive, a seven-year old girl who dreams of going to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. So what happens when they do? — neo101
During a strained and awkward family dinner, it is revealed that Frank, a homosexual professor and renowned scholar of Marcel Proust, tried to kill himself after a love interest left him for an academic rival. Cued by her father to change the subject, Olive tells the family about the beauty pageant routine she is working on with the help of her grandfather. Though Olive is not of the typical pageant ilk (an average-looking, bespectacled seven-year-old), she adores pageant work and had won second place in a regional contest. During dinner, the family hears a phone message from Olive's aunt, informing that them that the winner of Olive's recent pageant had to forfeit, and that Olive now has a place in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California. Olive is overjoyed, and after some arguing about transportation (and a pressuring pep-talk from her self-help guru father, Richard), the entire family agrees to travel to Redondo Beach in their Volkswagen micro-bus. Conversation in the bus reveals that Grandpa Edwin (Alan Arkin) was kicked out of his retirement home for selling and using heroin (which he still enjoys). Dwayne, Olive's brother, has been taking a vow of silence for nine months straight, and plans to keep it up until he gets into the Air Force. He spends his time reading the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and ignoring his squabbling parents and Grandpa's brazen sex advice. At a rest stop, the clutch on the micro-bus breaks, forcing the family to push-start the bus whenever it is not parked on an incline. At a gas station, Richard receives news that his book deal has fallen through. Frank is humiliated after running into his ex-lover in a convenience store. The family returns to the road, all in bad tempers, but realize (after Dwayne notices) that they have to return to the gas station for Olive, who they'd forgotten in their bad moods. They check into a motel for the night, Richard and Sheryl sharing a room, Frank and Dwayne in another, and Grandpa and Olive in a third. Olive confesses to Grandpa that she is scared about the pageant the following day, but is reassured by the doting Edwin that she is a beautiful person and will 'blow 'em outta the water." Sheryl and Richard have an explosive argument about the failed book deal, and Richard drives to Scottsdale in the middle of the night to confront Stan Grossman, his partner in the deal. Richard's ideas are rejected again, and he returns to the motel. Olive wakes her parents in the morning because "Grandpa won't wake up." Edwin is rushed to the hospital where he is pronounced dead of an apparent heroin overdose. The family grieves, but the paperwork they are instructed to carry out will ruin their chances to get to Olive's pageant on time. Determined to honor his father's memory, Richard has the family smuggle the body into their van. Soon, however, their horn breaks and will not stop honking. They are pulled over by a state trooper who nearly uncovers Edwin's body in the trunk, but is sidetracked by Grandpa's porn collection that falls out. He lets the family go in exchange for the porn mags, and the road trip continues. The Hoovers are almost at the pageant site and are making good time. Olive is giving Dwayne an eye test that she got from the hospital, and Frank realizes that Dwayne is colorblind. Realizing that this wrecks his dream of becoming a test pilot (and negates his nine months of total silence), Dwayne loses it. Richard stops the bus, and Dwayne runs into a culvert in a rage insulting his family. Refusing to continue the trip and failing to be comforted by Sheryl, Olive manages to win him back on board with a silent hug. They arrive at the Redondo Suites hotel with much confusion about parking, and make it to the sign-up table four minutes late. Though a snippy pageant official initially refuses her entry, a kindly employee adds Olive to the lineup. Richard finds an undertaking service to remove Edwin's body, and sadly bids farewell to his father. Dwayne and Frank, repulsed by the freakish child pageant atmosphere, walk out to a pier. Dwayne (now vocal again) expresses his frustration with being a teenager and life in general. Frank offers his nephew a piece of Proust philosophy: that it is your suffering, not your happiness, that defines you as a person. The pageant begins, and the prepubescent contestants, slathered disturbingly with makeup and fake tan, take the stage. Richard becomes nervous for Olive as he watches from the audience, knowing that she will not fit in. He and Dwayne, sharing the same concern, go backstage to convince Sheryl to call it off. Sheryl stands her ground, saying that they have to "let Olive be Olive." The family watches nervously as Olive is led to the stage to perform. Dressed in a suit and top hat, Olive dedicates her dance performance to Grandpa, who had choreographed it. The rest of the family have not seen it yet. Olive's dance turns out to be a strip-burlesque routine to Rick James's "Superfreak," which Olive performs with gusto, as she is innocent of its raunchy overtones. The audience is appalled and even begins to catcall, but the Hoovers stand up and cheer her on. The snippy pageant official orders the emcee to remove Olive from the stage, but Richard butts in and begins dancing next to his daughter to support her. One by one, Olive's family takes the stage and joyfully finishes the number with her. After a brief visit to the police precinct, the Hoovers are permitted to leave as long as Olive is never entered in another California beauty pageant. Having become closer and more confident during the trip, the Hoovers push-start the micro-bus once again and pile in. They drive into the sunset, back to Albuquerque.

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Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, and Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

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Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong

Finally, a summer movie worth watching..

Last year, everybody was talking about why Americans didn’t want to go to the movies anymore, despite the dreary elephantine spectacles being rolled out for their enjoyment. This summer, in an arguably even more depressing development, people are flocking in record numbers to the dreary elephantine spectacles.

Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight) is a breezy goodbye to all that, a sweet-natured throwback to an era when once in a while, someone made a movie just for the hell of it. It won’t crush any box-office records or sell any tie-in toys, and it couldn’t give less of a damn. When I saw that this was the first feature film from Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the husband-and-wife commercial directors who used the haunting Nick Drake song “Pink Moon” as a ditty to sell Volkswagens, I feared the worst. But Little Miss Sunshine has not a hint of exploitation about it, and it’s sentimental only in the best sense of the word. Like its heroine Olive Hoover, it wears its heart on its sleeve and assumes the best about everyone, even when they don’t seem to deserve it.

Olive (played by Abigail Breslin) is a quiet little girl from Albuquerque, N.M., with giant eyeglasses, a slight potbelly, and only one dream—to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, which she’s just qualified for in a last-minute fluke. But to get to Redondo Beach, Calif., in time for the pageant, she’ll need the help of her whole family, and this is a family that could use some help itself. Olive’s father, Richard, (Greg Kinnear) is an unsuccessful motivational speaker—a career description that’s a joke in itself, and that perfectly epitomizes this movie’s mix of hopelessness and pluck. His wife, Sheryl (Toni Collette), holds the family together with upbeat platitudes and buckets of takeout chicken, but she’s clearly reaching the end of her rope. Their older son, teenager Dwayne (Paul Dano), is a Nietzsche fanatic who’s taken a vow of silence until he’s old enough to become a fighter pilot; his communication with the family has dwindled to scrawling the words “I hate everybody” on a notepad.

If possible, the extended Hoover clan is even more miserable than the immediate family. Alan Arkin plays Richard’s father, an oversexed misanthrope who defends his heroin-snorting habit with the cogent argument, “I’m old!” and deflects further criticism by snarling, “I still got Nazi bullets in my ass.” And Frank (Steve Carell), Sheryl’s brother, is a total wreck, a suicidal gay academic who’s just lost his boyfriend to the second-greatest Proust scholar in the country. (Asked who the greatest is, he deadpans, “That would be me.”) With his wrists still bandaged from his latest attempt to kill himself, Frank can hardly be left alone, so he piles into the Hoovers’ ancient yellow VW bus and they all set out for California.

I am fully aware that this sounds like the setup for an overly cute family road picture, something heartwarming involving Robin Williams, poop jokes, and roadkill. But Little Miss Sunshine is not that kind of movie. If anything, the recent film it most recalls is You Can Count on Me (2000), another small treasure about a fractured family that managed to be moving without troweling on the sap. Little Miss Sunshine has some elements of farce, including extended sequences of physical comedy and an unlikely, exuberant finale. But it takes its characters very seriously indeed, and affords them a measure of dignity even at their most ridiculous.

Steve Carell is exquisitely cast in his first serious role, as the melancholic literature professor with a taste for Buns magazine. He even looks a little like Proust, with his hollow eyes and well-kempt beard, and he’s invented a special running gait for his character—you can see it on the movie’s poster—that’s both hilarious and telling. Alan Arkin is especially so as the genially filthy-minded grandfather, and Abigail Breslin, who nearly stole the movie Signs in a tiny part as Mel Gibson’s daughter, is an acting career waiting to happen. She’s not “cute” in the usual Hollywood sense, like those terrifying children in the Welch’s grape juice commercials. She’s cute the way real kids are: unpredictable, vulnerable, resilient, and tender.

The movie’s portrait of the world of juvenile beauty pageants, while frighteningly accurate in some ways, underestimates how hermetic and exclusionary these events must actually be—there’s not a chance in the world an amateur like Olive could ascend as high as she does here. And at least one of the movie’s subplots, having to do with Dwayne’s dream of a fighter-pilot career, pops out of nowhere, only to be resolved much too quickly and facilely. But it feels churlish to lodge too many complaints against Little Miss Sunshine . Like the broken-down VW bus that ferries the Hoovers cross-country, this film may be a ramshackle vehicle, but it gets you where you want to go.

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Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin), aged seven, loves beauty pageants and unexpectedly wins the local contest. This forces her family to take her on the long journey from Albuquerque to California to compete in the national ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ Contest. Her father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is an unemployed motivational speaker who believes that the world is divided into winners and losers. He wants his family to be winners at any cost. Sheryl (Toni Collette) is the mother, accepting and tolerant of everyone. She believes that children should know all the facts and truth about everything. She will support any choices and decisions they make in their lives. This includes defending her older son Dwayne (Paul Dano), a follower of Nietzche’s philosophy, who has taken a vow of silence and hasn’t spoken for nine months. Dwayne hates everybody, and his goal is to become a fighter pilot.

The family also incorporates foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed Grandpa Hoover (Alan Arkin), kicked out of a retirement home for taking heroin. Uncle Frank (Steve Carell) also comes to live with the family, in need of care after a suicide attempt.

Thus the whole family set out on the trip to California in the dilapidated Kombi van that is their only means of transport. A very funny and heartbreaking journey transpires, as this dysfunctional family overcome many obstacles to reach the truly awful and highly hypocritical Little Miss Sunshine contest.

Family conflict; body image; death and suicide

Although no violence is actually shown in this movie, there is reference to Uncle Frank’s attempted suicide. He is shown shortly afterwards in a hospital gown with his wrists bandaged.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

Grandpa’s advice to Dwayne is to have sex with lots of women in his lifetime, not just one or two.
Grandpa says that if a woman asks him to have sex with her, he wouldn’t be able to because he’s too tired.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There is some use of substances in this movie. For example, Grandpa snorts heroin and Sheryl smokes.

Nudity and sexual activity

Grandpa buys pornographic magazines that show bare breasts and buttocks.

Product placement

Coarse language.

This movie contains frequent mild to medium-level coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Little Miss Sunshine is a black comedy aimed at adults. It exposes the hypocrisy in children’s beauty pageants as well as the myth of winners versus losers. The main messages from this movie are that so called ‘losers’ can be winners too and that body image is irrelevant in the broad scheme of things.

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41 facts about the movie little miss sunshine.

Written by Selma Beckley

Modified & Updated: 03 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Sherman Smith

41-facts-about-the-movie-little-miss-sunshine

Welcome to the wonderful world of “Little Miss Sunshine”! This critically acclaimed movie has captivated audiences with its heartwarming story and unforgettable characters. Released in 2006, “Little Miss Sunshine” has become a beloved indie classic, touching the hearts of millions worldwide. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, this comedy-drama follows the eccentric Hoover family as they embark on a road trip to support their young daughter, Olive, in her quest to compete in a beauty pageant. With its blend of humor, sincerity, and poignant moments, “Little Miss Sunshine” has made a lasting impact on the film industry and remains a cherished gem in the hearts of movie enthusiasts. In this article, we will dive into 41 fascinating facts about this beloved movie, exploring its behind-the-scenes production, memorable performances, and cultural significance. So buckle up and get ready to explore the world of “Little Miss Sunshine” like never before!

Key Takeaways:

Little Miss Sunshine is a heartwarming comedy-drama with a talented cast, catchy music, and a message about embracing imperfections. It’s a must-watch for film lovers of all ages!
The film explores family dynamics, resilience, and the pursuit of unconventional dreams. It’s a timeless movie that continues to resonate with audiences, leaving a lasting emotional impact.

Little Miss Sunshine is a comedy-drama film

Little Miss Sunshine is a critically acclaimed comedy-drama film released in It tells the story of the dysfunctional Hoover family and their journey across the country to support their daughter Olive in a beauty pageant.

The film was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

The talented directing duo of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were behind the camera for Little Miss Sunshine. They successfully brought together a talented ensemble cast and crafted a heartwarming and hilarious film.

The screenplay was written by Michael Arndt

Michael Arndt penned the screenplay for Little Miss Sunshine. His writing skillfully blended humor, drama, and character development, resulting in a compelling and memorable story.

The film was a box office success

Little Miss Sunshine achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. It grossed over $100 million worldwide against a modest budget, proving that independent films can make a big impact at the box office.

The ensemble cast delivered remarkable performances

The film features an exceptional ensemble cast including Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin , and Abigail Breslin. Each actor brought their A-game, resulting in believable and memorable performances.

The film received numerous awards and nominations

Little Miss Sunshine was honored with several awards and nominations. It won two Academy Awards and received recognition for its screenplay, acting, and direction.

The iconic yellow Volkswagen van plays a significant role

The yellow Volkswagen van, a symbol of the Hoover family’s journey, becomes an integral part of the film. It adds both visual flair and metaphorical depth to the story.

The film explores themes of family, identity, and self-acceptance

Little Miss Sunshine delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the quest for personal fulfillment. It tackles themes such as embracing individuality and finding joy amidst adversity.

The movie blends humor and heart with subtle grace

The movie strikes a delicate balance between comedy and drama. It manages to evoke laughter while also tugging at the heartstrings, leaving audiences with a lasting emotional impact.

The film’s soundtrack features catchy tunes

The soundtrack of Little Miss Sunshine is filled with catchy and memorable songs that complement the story. It adds another layer of charm and enhances the overall viewing experience.

Little Miss Sunshine has a loyal fanbase

The film has garnered a dedicated fanbase over the years. Its authentic characters and relatable storyline have resonated with audiences, making it a cult favorite.

The movie tackles social commentary

Little Miss Sunshine subtly addresses societal pressures and expectations, particularly within beauty pageants. It offers a thought-provoking critique while still maintaining its comedic elements.

The film explores the concept of unconventional beauty

Little Miss Sunshine challenges conventional notions of beauty and emphasizes inner qualities over external appearance. It promotes the idea that true beauty comes from within.

Little Miss Sunshine received widespread critical acclaim

The movie received rave reviews from critics, who praised its performances, writing, and direction. It holds an impressive rating on review aggregator sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.

Little Miss Sunshine was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards

The film garnered significant recognition at the Academy Awards and was nominated for Best Picture. This nomination solidified its status as a standout film in the industry.

The film’s message of resilience and embracing imperfections resonates with audiences

The underlying message of Little Miss Sunshine about the importance of resilience and accepting one’s imperfections resonates with viewers of all ages. It teaches valuable life lessons that are relevant beyond the screen.

The characters in the film undergo personal growth and transformation

The journey of the characters in Little Miss Sunshine is marked by personal growth and transformation. Each member of the Hoover family learns valuable lessons about themselves and one another along the way.

The film’s humor is both quirky and relatable

The humor in Little Miss Sunshine is characterized by its quirky and offbeat nature. It captures the idiosyncrasies of everyday life, making it relatable to audiences worldwide.

Little Miss Sunshine highlights the importance of familial support

The film reinforces the significance of familial support and the power of unconditional love. The Hoover family’s unwavering support for Olive’s dream is a heartwarming aspect of the story.

The movie’s uplifting ending leaves a lasting impression

The uplifting and poignant ending of Little Miss Sunshine leaves a lasting impression on viewers. It serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the beauty of embracing life’s imperfections.

Little Miss Sunshine explores the complexities of childhood

The film delves into the challenges and complexities of childhood, reflecting the experiences and emotions that many young individuals face. It portrays these aspects with authenticity and sensitivity.

The film captures the essence of road trip adventures

Little Miss Sunshine takes audiences on a memorable road trip, capturing the excitement, challenges, and bonding moments that often occur during such journeys. It showcases the transformative power of travel.

Little Miss Sunshine is known for its iconic dance scene

The film features a memorable dance scene performed by the Hoover family. This iconic moment has become a defining image associated with Little Miss Sunshine.

The movie emphasizes the importance of pursuing dreams

Little Miss Sunshine encourages viewers to pursue their dreams, regardless of the obstacles they may face. It inspires audiences to embrace their passions and strive for personal fulfillment.

The film’s cinematography captures the beauty of the American landscape

The cinematography in Little Miss Sunshine showcases the scenic beauty of the American landscape. The visuals contribute to the overall atmosphere of the film and enhance the storytelling.

The movie incorporates dark humor effectively

Little Miss Sunshine uses dark humor as a storytelling tool, adding depth and complexity to the overall narrative. This balance between tragedy and comedy elevates the film.

The film’s screenplay went through multiple rewrites

The screenplay of Little Miss Sunshine underwent multiple rewrites before reaching its final form. This meticulous process helped to refine the story and enhance its impact.

The movie explores the pursuit of unconventional dreams

Little Miss Sunshine celebrates the pursuit of unconventional dreams and challenges societal norms. It promotes individuality and encourages viewers to strive for their own unique path.

The film showcases the importance of family unity

Little Miss Sunshine emphasizes the significance of family unity, portraying the Hoover family’s journey as a collective effort. It highlights the power of coming together in times of need.

The film addresses topics of mental health and personal struggles

Little Miss Sunshine touches on topics of mental health and personal struggles, shedding light on the challenges individuals face and the importance of support and understanding.

The movie contains memorable and quotable lines

Little Miss Sunshine features memorable and quotable lines that have become part of the film’s legacy. From comedic one-liners to poignant reflections, the script is filled with memorable dialogue.

The film’s pacing keeps audiences engaged

The pacing of Little Miss Sunshine is carefully crafted to keep audiences engaged and invested in the story. It balances moments of levity with poignant and reflective scenes.

The film tackles themes of identity and personal growth

Little Miss Sunshine delves into the complexities of personal identity and the transformative power of growth. It encourages viewers to embrace their true selves and evolve along their personal journeys.

Little Miss Sunshine is a great example of independent cinema

The film exemplifies the spirit of independent cinema, showcasing the creativity and innovation that can be achieved outside of mainstream Hollywood. It serves as an inspiration for aspiring filmmakers.

The movie captures the essence of family dynamics

Little Miss Sunshine skillfully captures the nuances of family dynamics, portraying the conflicts, love, and shared experiences that come with being part of a tight-knit unit.

The film’s emotional depth resonates with audiences

Little Miss Sunshine evokes a range of emotions, from laughter to tears. Its emotional depth strikes a chord with audiences, leaving a lasting impact long after the credits roll.

Little Miss Sunshine showcases the power of perseverance

The film showcases the power of perseverance in the face of adversity. The Hoover family’s determination to support Olive on her journey is an inspiring testament to resilience.

The film’s coming-of-age themes resonate across generations

Little Miss Sunshine’s coming-of-age themes transcend generations, resonating with viewers of all ages. It explores universal experiences and emotions associated with growing up.

The film’s success helped launch the careers of its cast and crew

The success of Little Miss Sunshine propelled the careers of its talented cast and crew. It served as a springboard for future projects and showcased their exceptional skills.

Little Miss Sunshine has a timeless quality

Despite being released over a decade ago, Little Miss Sunshine has retained its relevance and continues to resonate with audiences today. Its timeless themes and relatable characters contribute to its enduring appeal.

Little Miss Sunshine is a must-watch for film lovers

If you’re a fan of heartwarming and thought-provoking cinema, Little Miss Sunshine is a must-watch. Its rich storytelling, exceptional performances, and relatable themes make it a standout film in the comedy-drama genre.

Little Miss Sunshine is a heartwarming and critically acclaimed movie that captivated audiences worldwide. With its brilliant screenplay, exceptional performances, and relatable storyline, it has become a beloved film in the industry. The unique blend of comedy and drama, along with its poignant message about family, dreams, and self-acceptance, makes Little Miss Sunshine a must-watch for movie enthusiasts of all ages. Whether you’re a fan of indie films or simply looking for an uplifting and engaging cinematic experience, this movie will not disappoint. So gather your loved ones and embark on a journey filled with laughter, tears, and plenty of sunshine.

1. Who directed the movie Little Miss Sunshine?

The movie Little Miss Sunshine was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

2. What is the runtime of Little Miss Sunshine?

The runtime of Little Miss Sunshine is approximately 101 minutes.

3. When was Little Miss Sunshine released?

The movie was released in the year 2006.

4. What is the genre of Little Miss Sunshine?

Little Miss Sunshine is a comedy-drama film.

5. Who starred in Little Miss Sunshine?

The cast of Little Miss Sunshine includes Steve Carell , Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin.

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Classic Movies

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Movie Review: Crowd-Pleasing Indie

Little Miss Sunshine movie Greg Kinnear Toni Collette Alan Arkin Steve Carell

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ review: Script suffers from severe case of mad crowd-pleasing disease

Much more often than not, “independent film” merely indicates that an American production received its financing from sources outside – or somewhere in the outskirts of – the Hollywood studio system. Only sporadically does that label refer to edgy, challenging, and/or unconventional filmmaking.

In fact, “independent filmmakers” usually concoct storylines as conventional as those being churned out by the studios, probably in the hopes of selling their screenplays (or finished films) to a major distributor. Considering the amount of money involved, who can blame them? All they need is to wrap their films’ cliché-ridden core with the flimsiest veneer of quirkiness – always a good selling point to young audiences, film critics, and Oscar voters.

Those “independently created” stories and characters don’t challenge anyone’s beliefs or prejudices; they only pretend to do so while subtly – or not so subtly – reaffirming the status quo. Audiences can then pat themselves on the back for having enjoyed something “artsy” even though they’ve actually been fed nothing more than a less expensive brand of the same pap big Hollywood studios give them on a regular basis. The Fox Searchlight release Little Miss Sunshine is a case in point.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’: The movies’ latest loving family

Directed by husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, music video directors making their feature-film debut, from a screenplay by Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine proves once and for all that loving families can come in all sizes, shapes, and VW vans.

In case you’re wondering, “Have I seen this before?” Well, except for the VW van bit, you most probably have. From My Man Godfrey , You Can’t Take It with You , and The Young in Heart to About a Boy , The Family Stone , and Transamerica , unusual – but ever-loving – families have been a film staple for decades.

Sometimes those family films work because their characters are not only unusual, but they are also masters of their fate. They don’t go down on their knees begging for our sympathy. Much more often than not, however, those family films don’t work because their characters want to be loved by me, you, and everybody else. “Please, love me!” they plead. “I may look and sound different, but at heart I’m just like you!”

Classic Movie Costumes + L.A. Jewish Film Festival

Sundance Festival Awards: Immigrant Smuggling, Roman Polanski

In varying degrees, the love-me-I-beg-you approach is taken by the assorted components of Little Miss Sunshine ‘s family who sets out from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Los Angeles so the little daughter can take part in a beauty pageant.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’: Script promises challenges, but opts for safety instead

In Little Miss Sunshine , Daddy Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear) is a success-obsessed professional failure, but he’s also kind-hearted and has a killer smile – so all’s forgiven. Mommy Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) is a little angry, perhaps, but she overflows with love for her brood. Teenage son Dwayne (Paul Dano) is a silent Nietzschean freak who pretends to hate everybody but who’s actually a softie at heart. The little beauty-queen wannabe, Olive (Abigail Breslin), wears glasses and has a (fake) tummy, but she is so goddamned Shirley Temple - nishly cute while eating chocolate ice cream that one can’t help but feel like squeezing her until she suffocates. And Grandpa Edwin Hoover (Alan Arkin) is loud, tactless, and a heroin addict to boot, but he is gramps – so, while sober, he gives bits of life-affirming advice to his granddaughter.

Ah! Little Miss Sunshine also features Uncle Frank (Steve Carell). True, he’s gay, suicidal, and an intellectual (a Proust scholar, no less), but not to worry: he’s also sexless and a total wimp. No red-blooded heterosexual male, whether in the film or in the audience, has any reason to feel threatened by him.

And off they go to sunny California. Along the way, family members face terrible hardships ranging from color blindness and a stuck horn to sudden death and a bad carburetor.

In the hands of inexperienced film directors Dayton and Faris, Little Miss Sunshine ‘s dramatic sequences almost invariably fall into the trap of melodrama while most of the humorous moments feel mechanical and calculated. That said, first-time screenwriter Michael Arndt bears the brunt of the blame for the insipid final product. Either that, or Little Miss Sunshine ‘s many producers and/or the folks at Focus Features – the company was involved with the project at one point – messed up Arndt’s writing. After all, even the script’s jabs at the American obsession with “winning” and at beauty pageants for little girls, dressed like a cross between country Western singers and Sunset Boulevard streetwalkers, are as pointed as half-baked nudges.

Reactionary script disguised as progressive tale

Apart from two funny bits – when Alan Arkin’s Gramps exclaims, “At my age, you’d be crazy not to [snort heroin]!” and when Abigail Breslin’s Olive, who had been coached by Gramps, performs a quite risqué striptease during her beauty-pageant moment of glory – everything in Little Miss Sunshine that could have been even slightly edgy (or subversive, if you wish) is watered down to be made as conventional and inoffensive as possible.

At the industry screening where I saw the film, Gramps got a big laugh when he told his adolescent grandson Dwayne that he should fuck as many women as possible before settling down. Gee whiz, shocking! Now, imagine how many laughs Gramps would have gotten – or how sympathetic his heroin-addicted character would have seemed to mainstream audiences – had he also told his pre-teen granddaughter Olive to fuck as many guys as possible before settling down. (It may sound odd, but heroin addicts have been known to do and say a number of socially unacceptable things.)

Even Olive’s aforementioned striptease is shamelessly softened by an outburst of familial love that feels as phony as it is clumsy – besides being a rip-off from a pivotal scene in Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz’ About a Boy , which coincidentally also stars Toni Collette. See, those people may be “different” – losers all, including Olive at this point – but we must care for them because they truly, madly, deeply love one another. And isn’t that exactly the way it is with every single family the world over?

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ cast: Capable actors battle insufferable script

The fact that Greg Kinnear manages to deliver a thoroughly believable performance as Little Miss Sunshine ‘s befuddled Hoover patriarch is a testament to that underused actor’s talent. Paul Dano is equally good as the (silent) angry young Dwayne whose means of communication are scattered pieces of paper. Alan Arkin – his sensitive deaf-mute in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter remains one of my all-time favorite performances – might have been funnier had the veteran actor been given truly outrageous lines, but even the heroin-addicted Gramps comes across as more than a little mushy. Steve Carell, for his part, makes an honorable attempt to turn his Uncle Frank into a human being, but he’s painfully defeated by the script.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’: Narrow-minded clichés under the guise of open-minded compassion

Much like the gay character (coincidentally played by Greg Kinnear) in another well-received and highly popular film – James L. Brooks ’ 1997 big-studio comedy As Good as It Gets – Uncle Frank is the perfect example of emasculated manhood, apparently the only type of “sympathetic” gay man (apart from total sissies) acceptable to mainstream American audiences. To say that such neutered characters are condescending – “Don’t hate me. I may be gay, but I’m both asexual and unhappy” – would be an understatement.

Like Kinnear’s As Good as It Gets gay amoeba, who can’t think of a response to Jack Nicholson ’s character after being referred to as a “fag” – a line that got a big laugh back then – Carell’s Uncle Frank quietly accepts Gramps’ suggestion that he buy himself a “fag rag” at a road stop. That line, by the way, also got a big laugh at the industry screening, something that made me wonder: Would those same people have laughed had Frank been Jewish and had Gramps told him to go buy himself a “kike rag”? What if Frank had been black, and Gramps had said, “Buy yourself a ‘nigger rag’”? Would that have been funny hah-hah or what? In those two cases, would Gramps have been perceived as merely you-so-funny “ politically incorrect ,” or would he have come across as a bigoted asshole?

Either way, despite his intermittent mushiness I found Gramps infinitely more appealing than Uncle Frank. In fact, throughout Little Miss Sunshine I kept wondering why no one in such a loving family was kind enough to give the poor suicidal Uncle a pair of scissors – hell, a sharp razorblade would have worked – to help take that most spineless of gay men out of his misery. But since this is Little Miss Sunshine , Frank not only lives but also discovers he belongs to a Family.

After Little Miss Sunshine was over – a family that loses together, stays together – the audience applauded enthusiastically. I left the theater praying for thunderstorms.

Little Miss Sunshine (movie 2006) cast & crew Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. Screenplay: Michael Arndt. Cast: Greg Kinnear. Toni Collette. Steve Carell. Abigail Breslin. Alan Arkin. Paul Dano. Bryan Cranston . Paula Newsome. Dean Norris.

Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette Little Miss Sunshine movie images: Fox Searchlight.

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I’m right with you on how vile, rude and insulting those words are. But it would have served no purpose whatsoever if gramps had said those instead of “faggot”.

I shared an apartment for a year with a man who is gay (and now, incidentally, is married to a bisexual woman) and I fully appreciate the pejorative use of “faggot”. What your review seems to say is that it would have been edgier, more authentic as a movie and a script if it had had gramps use another more socially unacceptable term. The fact that “faggot” is somewhat socially acceptable does not make it right but shows the insensitivity of the general public. But your review does not help the problem but makes it worse because you want the truly independent films to push the boundaries a little more so that people can be shocked, instead of laughing at something they ought to have been ashamed at.

The only thing I like about your review is that you state plainly your allegiance to a “no limits”, a thoroughly unrestrained, and movie industry. Your take on the spineless gay uncle may be slightly accurate (insofar as his character is as shallow as your own perspective) but it seems that it’s difficult to portray any male character these days to anyone’s satisfaction. Gay or not. The thing is, you want a strong gay character in a movie that shows a coward. In reality there are many straight men who are as cowardly as Frank in movies and out, but I suspect you wouldn’t find that to be a problem. Now we have Milk, which shows a strong gay character, and look at the reviews it got! Besides receiving many nominations and awards (which it richly deserved) there are many people SO upset because it makes a gay man an admirable hero. So again, I ask: what good would it have done had gramps said anything else? And, what would it have achieved had Frank been less spineless? Cannot a gay man go through grief the same as a straight man? I think you reviewed this movie, and a few others, with a thick cowl over your eyes - a deficient worldview. And I don’t think it is so illogical.

Your perspective on this movie and some others shows that you hold an opinion which inhabits one extreme in society: an unrestrained, no-taboo, no need for self-control, post-modernism. If you want to see the OPPOSITE perspective to yours (which in many ways is just as bad) then watch - youtube.com/watch?v=z0rxlBc7.

Also, don’t you think the point of the movie was to critique general American society, such as the rather apparent vulgarity of the Little Miss Sunschine beauty pageant? You didn’t even mention that or seem to notice that the film moved towards that pageant, and used an extremely awkward and inappropriate routine to point out how subtly the whole pageant was inappropriately derogatory to the participants and their parents? To me, I think that was the whole point of the movie. To show a family that, although it is incredibly dysfunctional and full of odd-ball characters, it is better than the families who, out of a serious desire to win at all costs, put their daughters into the pageant as almost little pole-dancers, miniature whores. -> Obviously that is strong language -> The other participants’ dresses and routines were exposed to be vulgar by the very extreme vulgarity of Breslin’s routine.

I say “good work”, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

You continue to misread my review.

I never said Alan Arkin’s character *should* have called Steve Carell’s character something anti-Jewish or anti-black or “more shocking” than the quite socially acceptable slur “fag.” The obvious point I make is that *had he done so* NO ONE would have laughed. The “fag rag” line is in the movie for laughs. That’s the only reason it’s there. Ugly. Vile. Both on the part of the filmmakers and on the part of those who find it humorous.

I didn’t despise Carell’s character because he’s a “coward,” as you put it. In fact, I didn’t see him as such. I saw him as an amoeba. I don’t care for human-looking amoebas, male or female or hermaphrodite, gay or straight or anything in between. In other words, gay male characters don’t have to be portrayed as heroes for me to like them. That would be going to the other extreme — as you point out. That would also have turned “Little Miss Sunshine” into a box-office disappointment, sort of like “Milk.” Whether at the movies or in life, most mainstream audiences either want their gay characters invisible — not there — or played as spineless morons for laughs. Like Carell’s bereaved Uncle Amoeba.

By remarking that “Little Miss Sunshine” plays it safe doesn’t mean I wanted Dayton and Faris to have Gramps graphically abusing his granddaughter or blowing up the VW van and killing everyone on board, with blood and torn limbs everywhere, or shooting up at the dinner table and then vomiting in his minestrone soup. An edgy film isn’t necessarily a shocking film.

But considering the subject matter and the film’s “dysfunctional” characters, all I wanted was a pointed critique of both families and society in general. *That* “Little Miss Sunshine” doesn’t deliver. In fact, it takes the safest route so as to make both plot and characters as unchallenging as possible.

I don’t like this review. I appreciated the attempt to create a family that is messed - kinda like most families - but it didn’t come off as phony to me. I’m writing a thesis on the history of family, and what the family unit has meant over the last three millenia, how it changed and where it is going. As far as I can tell, LMS made an honest jab at the relative dysfunctionality of the typical family.

Your review seems predicated on the assumption that a film about a family already begins at the wrong place (who crafts art around an archaic form of society?), and can hardly get better if it had less phony characters, and less insipid writing. But why then did LMS earn the Best Original Screenplay? What are you missing in your pedantic worldview that the judges of the Oscars deemed worthy of an award?

Also, why would gramps tell his grandson to go buy a “kike rag”? What would that do for the film? And what is the point that the filmmakers would make if, instead of that socially unacceptable comment, he commanded an even more socially reprehensible thing like buying a “nigger-rag”? How would that make the film less phony?

In the end, it is your kind of review that makes me sick of reading film reviews. It isn’t even logical. And it is your own insipid perspective on the gay uncle that inhibits people’s slowly developing attitude towards an inclusive family. And yet you didn’t even seem aware of the pejorative social and familial implications of several of those scenes.

I wouldn’t watch that movie again, either. But for entirely different reasons.

My worldview is “pedantic” because it doesn’t match yours. That’s how it usually goes. Also, I’m sure you’ll find a number of movies that won Oscars for best screenplay that you find subpar or downright trashy. But then you wouldn’t be the “pedantic” one. The *Academy* would be wrong. That’s how it usually goes.

I see no difference between “faggot,” “kike,” or “nigger.” All three are nasty, ugly, vile words, used to offend, to hurt, to demean others. Apparently you think “faggot” is just fine. The audience with whom I saw “Little Miss Sunshine” surely did, as they laughed in a way they’d never have laughed had the anti-black or anti-Jew slur been used for comic effect. People like you would only change your minds if you were gay and someone called *you* a faggot. Trust me, then my remarks wouldn’t sound at all “insipid.” My review would also sound quite “logical.”

By the way, I watched “Little Miss Sunshine” at the Writers Guild. Some of those people laughing at “faggot” jokes were quite possibly among those who chose “Little Miss Sunshine” the best written movie of the year.

And finally, there are hundreds of movies about families that I like — or even admire. Just because I didn’t like “Little Miss Sunshine” doesn’t mean I don’t like movies about families, period. Now, *that* is an illogical extrapolation.

Thanks for writing.

If you look at my list of favorite films, you’ll see quite a few that could hardly be considered “world-weary jaded.” (And I never say in my review that people should only go to the movies to be challenged.)

My chief problem with “Little Miss Sunshine” wasn’t that it lacked Dreyer’s starkness, Bergman’s psychology, or Antonioni’s sense of ennui. As far as I’m concerned, “Little Miss Sunshine” fails because it pretends to be something it isn’t. It’s phony.

As to your question about my getting upset if others find my writing “predictable,” the answer is, No, that doesn’t upset me.

Now, the two hours of my life I wasted watching “Little Miss Sunshine.” Well, *that* made me mad…

But hey, thanks for sharing your opinion. I’m sure most people will agree with you — not with me. (I’ll grant you that.)

I read your review of Little Miss Sunshine (only recently released in Australia). You are the sort of film reviewer that I have become accustomed to in my reading of 1001 films … The choice of favourite films is calculated to tell us about the reviewer not the film. Your review sits nicely in this genre - does that upset you that your writing is predictable?

I am someone who deals daily with the tragedy of the lives of others. They don’t need to go to the cinema to be “challenged” or to be ‘cutting edge’. I have enough ‘profound’ or intellectual dialogue with my friends and family to not require it of every piece of entertainment I view. LMS was entertaining and engaging. I liked the characters - rather than this tired world-weary jaded artist view of the world that you obviously prefer.

As an Australian I frequently object to the neo-colonial American mass media. But LMS is not part of the problem. The only moment I was reminded of the origin of this movie was during the family dance sequence at the end (I will grant you that).

It was suggested to me by several friends that I see this film. They all agreed that it was hysterical and the funniest film they had seen in a long time. While I wasn’t disappointed, I did not think it was “hysterical.” In fact, there was only one time that I or the audience I saw it with, actually laughed out loud. That was when the emcee of the talent contest asked Olive where her grandfather was and she replied, “In the trunk of our car.” The film was well-written and all the performances were excellent. Toni Collette and the actors playing the morose Duane and little Olive stand out.

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, 2057: a sun odyssey.

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As a permanent winter settles upon the Earth, a spaceship is sent on a desperate mission to drop a nuclear device into the sick sun and "re-ignite" it. To name the ship "Icarus I" seems like asking for trouble in two ways, considering the fate of the original Icarus and the use of a numeral that ominously leaves room for a sequel. Indeed, the first ship disappears. As "Sunshine" opens, the "Icarus II" with seven astronauts on board is approaching Mercury, protected by a shield that protects it from solar incineration.

Considering that the movie is set only 50 years in the future, the sun seems to be dying several billion years prematurely, especially in a "hard" (i.e., quasi-plausible) science-fiction film. Man, am I glad I didn't go off on a rant about that before learning that the film's science adviser, Dr. Brian Cox of CERN (Conseil Europeen Pour le Recherche Nucleaire [European Laboratory for Particle Physics]), thought of it, too.

The sun is not "dying in the normal sense," IMDb.com reports, but in the Cox scenario "has instead been 'infected' with a 'Q-ball' -- a supersymetric nucleus, left over from the Big Bang...that is disrupting the normal matter. This is a theoretical particle that scientists at CERN are currently trying to confirm -- the film's bomb is meant to blast the Q-ball to its constituent parts, which will then naturally decay, allowing the sun to return to normal."

I'll buy that. Blasting a Q-ball to its constituent parts sounds normal to me, but then I read every sci-fi magazine published during my adolescence, and my hero was John W. Campbell Jr., the editor of Astounding/Analog, who insisted his fiction not be preposterous, but sensible and possible, such as a mission to the sun to blast a Q-ball to pieces.

But enough about me. What about the Q-ball? It's a "non-topological soliton," Wikipedia explains, before grumbling in a related article, "it is not easy to define precisely what a soliton is." Don't you love this stuff? Isn't it better than a lot of analysis of the psychological interactions among the crew?

The movie was written by the sci-fi novelist Alex Garland , whose “ 28 Days Later ” made a scary film, and directed by Danny Boyle , whose work ranges widely, from the world’s filthiest toilet (in “ Trainspotting ”) to a young boy who chats with the saints (in “ Millions ”).

But enough about them. Perhaps I skated too quickly over those psychological interactions. There is a subgenre which assumes that when a crew is shut up in a spaceship in utter isolation, they will start to get on one another's nerves. This would seem to be a waste of time aboard the "Icarus II," since it's essentially a kamikaze mission; the crew members must presumably share the fate of the Q-ball and be blasted into their own constituent parts, but the difference is, the Q-ball likes it.

The interactions are the weakest elements in "Sunshine," which is strongest when it focuses on the sheer enormity of the mission and its consequences. Sean Penn is needed on board to utter "awesome!" One crew member asks the onboard computer to let him see what the sun really looks like, and the computer's answer is a variation on kids warning each other that staring at the sun can make you go blind. This is even more true when you are millions of miles closer to the sun, unprotected by an atmosphere, and wearing only Ray-Bans.

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but there is a nice twist, on the way past Mercury, when they pick a distress signal from, yes, Icarus I. As John W. Campbell Jr. would have known, the last thing you want to do while passing Mercury is respond to a distress signal from a ship that should not be there and -- well, anyway, they do, which leads to trouble, but also leads to a very effective scene dealing with how long the human body might be able to survive in the cold of outer space (which, as the good doctor Isaac Asimov once explained, is longer than you might think).

The actors ( Michelle Yeoh , Cillian Murphy , Chris Evans , Troy Garity , Rose Byrne , Cliff Curtis , Benedict Wong and Hiroyuki Sanada ) are effective by trying not to be too effective; they almost all play professional astronaut/scientists, and not action-movie heroes. The design of the ship itself is convincing; it looks like the inside of a computer used as the bunkhouse at a boys' camp.

The special effects in outer space are convincing and remorseless. The drummed-up suspense at the end is not essential, since Boyle and Garland seem more interested in the metaphysics of the voyage; Tarkovsky's " Solaris " (1972) demonstrated that if you go all the way with the implications of such a situation, it's more interesting than using plot devices.

So, anyway, younger girls won't like this movie, unless they know what happens under an automobile hood. Younger boys won't like it because the only thing that's possibly going to blow up real good is the sun. But science-fiction fans will like it, and also brainiacs, and those who sometimes look at the sky and think, man, there's a lot going on up there, and we can't even define precisely what a soliton is.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Sunshine (2007)

Rated R for violent content and language

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...And it involves a treasure map.

The Big Picture

Rinko Kikuchi shines in Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter , a mesmerizing tale of escapism and self-discovery.
The film gracefully navigates cultural clashes in Minnesota with inherent niceness.
Kumiko's obsession with a film treasure leads to a transformative journey, blurring reality and fantasy.

If there's any reason to be thankful for Tokyo Vice , it's that it brought Rinko Kikuchi back to American screens. While only being a fixture in Hollywood for under a decade, she covered so many bases in such a short period of time . She received an Oscar nomination for her study of the teenage communication breakdown in Babel, served as a deadly assassin in Rian Johnson 's underrated movie, The Brothers Bloom , and enshrined herself in the nerd hall of fame as Mako Mori in Pacific Rim . It's the last film in her streak that has served as a unique use of her talents, being the poster child for Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter. David Zellner's charming sort-of love letter to Fargo ascends its own heights, becoming an exploration of media escapism and the disappointments of life.

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

What Is 'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter' About?

Kumiko (Kikuchi) is stuck in a dead end life from which she sees no escape . She has a dull office job where she isolates herself from everyone, and her boss and mother harangue her with the pressures of getting married and having kids. Basically, her only real connection in life is to her pet rabbit, Bunzo. One day, when exploring a beach, she comes across a buried videotape of Fargo , hyperfixating on the scene where kidnapper, Carl ( Steve Buscemi ), buries the suitcase full of money in the middle of a blank winter landscape. She's convinced that the movie is real and leading her towards treasure, inspiring her to set off on an adventure that she believes will lead to the change she wants in her life.

The story is bifurcated into two sections, with the first half devoted to the doldrums of Kumiko's life in Tokyo, and the second half exploring her experiences in Minnesota. We see how Kumiko is lonely—mostly out of choice— as she harbors no desire to abide by the societal norms that her elders dictate she should chase. While she has no ill-will towards her co-workers, she would rather spend her time essentially "quiet quitting" and almost spitting in her boss's tea. Her living domain is sloppily organized, squeezing Kumiko out of her own space with framing and staging that recalls the works of Wong Kar-Wai . She comes off less asleep at the wheel and more stricken with a waking sleep paralysis that she can't find a cure for, that is, until she finds the videotape and follows her own path.

Kumiko's Clashes With Minnesota Culture Serve as a Gentle Form of Comedy

Kumiko's touchdown in Minnesota gives an example of one of the secrets to Zellner's touch that makes the film so special: the innate niceness of it all . When Kumiko arrives at the airport, she's greeted by two men in suits who offer tourist advice, and she asks how to get to Fargo (not knowing that it's in North Dakota). We get a long cringe setpiece where it takes them forever to unfurl a state map, only to then reveal that they're actually missionaries looking to spread their word, causing Kumiko to leave abruptly. This scene works because the two men aren't framed as zealots, but earnest men looking to do for others what has been done for them . Kumiko's swift exit comes not from harsh judgment, but from her one-track mind telling her that anything unrelated to finding Fargo isn't worth it. It functions the same way that a Coen brothers work does: it gives us a scene that doesn't really add to the plot, but offers a brief window into a humorous subculture that exists inside the larger setting.

This sentiment extends towards a different scene where Kumiko stays at a motel but can't pay for the room (she stole her boss's credit card). Rather than be a jerk about it, the motel owner is gentle and understanding in his insistence that "her" card is bad, allowing her time to gather the money. It creates a tone of gentle empathy and spontaneity that calls to mind a range of influences , from the escapades of David Lynch 's The Straight Story to the midwestern ennui of Alexander Payne 's Nebraska .

Kumiko's Perception of Herself Drives the Story in 'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter'

The question must be asked: what really is going on with Kumiko? Many of her behavior traits seem to be playing into the tropes of manic pixie dream girls or the recently-anointed femcels, shirking all social responsibility and preferring to remain stuck in her self-imposed fantasy worlds . It seems that she's so cut off from the outside world that she doesn't even know what a movie is, as is evident by her taking Fargo at face value. Once she gets the idea in her head that the suitcase is out there, nothing will stop her from achieving it or letting anyone tell her that it isn't true. Despite the quixotic nature of her quest, at no point does she seem truly unhinged or out of control, as Kikuchi's gaze instills in her a calculation and wariness that shows she's always thinking about her next move, even before she finds the tape.

If one can find an underlying logic to her insistence on the fantasy, it's in her relationship with her mother. It's bad enough that her mom enforces the same misogynistic standard of marriage and kids onto her at every opportunity, but she also treats Kumiko like a useless anchor. She screams about all the ways that her daughter is inadequate, and it culminates in one brutal phone call where Kumiko practically shivers with all the pent-up trauma bursting out of her. She insists that her mom has no idea how "important" what she's doing is, and effectively cuts her off from her by hanging up. It paints a picture of a daughter who never felt truly valued by her mother , and who grew up instilled with a deep resentment of all that she lacked.

You Betcha There’s a ‘Fargo’ Easter Egg in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’

It's that fine line of escapist-fueled delusion and self-actualization that makes Zellner's film more than just a quirky romp . There's no denying that it feels like Kumiko is hurtling towards destruction, fated to be a frozen corpse lost in the Minnesota wilds. On the other hand, watching her slowly become more of the nomadic conqueror she always saw herself as is equal parts chilling and downright inspiring. I dare you to see the wide shot of Kumiko in her motel blanket cape, silhouetted against the vast white void, and not feel the urge to let out at least a little, "oh my God" under your breath.

The film never loses its guts about not tipping its hand at what the state of reality is , even as the film increasingly flies higher into the realm of fairy tale. A montage of an airport crew cleaning a plane is given the majestic unveiling of a newly discovered creature, the snow-blown roads evoke the wispy ripples of the River Styx, and the implication that the fake can become real all speak to the world being re-shaped by Kumiko's will to keep going. One could accuse the ending of being a confusing cop-out, but I choose to see it as Kumiko finally getting what she's deserved for so long, with karma paying her back. To paraphrase Willy Wonka , what happened to the woman who got everything she wanted? She lived happily ever after.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is available to watch on Prime Video.

Watch on Prime Video

IMAGES

Маленька міс Щастя (2006)
「影评」阳光小美女：适合全家人一起看的温暖电影
Pequeña Miss Sunshine
Sección visual de Pequeña Miss Sunshine
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Abigail Breslin (as Olive Hoover) in Little Miss Sunshine (2006) #

COMMENTS

Little Miss Sunshine movie review (2006)
A gentle family satire and a classic American road movie, "Little Miss Sunshine" harks back to the anti-establishment, countercultural comedies of the 1970s such as "Smile" or "Harold and Maude" -- satirical fairy tales that preached the virtues of nonconformity over the superficiality of conventional American values."Little Miss Sunshine" shows us a world in which there's a form, a brochure ...
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The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling ...
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NYT Critic's Pick. Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. Comedy, Drama. R. 1h 41m. By Manohla Dargis. July 26, 2006. Correction Appended. The family that pops Prozac together stays ...
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Little Miss Sunshine: Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. With Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin. A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (in their directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Michael Arndt.The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, all of whom play members of a dysfunctional family taking the youngest (Breslin) to ...
Little Miss Sunshine Movie Review
Beautifully important and touching, perfect for young teens. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) follows a dysfunctional family on a road trip. The film follows many mature themes and story points to craft a film about imperfection, failure and above all else, family. The mature content including some sexual content, drugs, swearing and homosexuality ...
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Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 29, 2009. Like little kids spouting dirty words in certain comedies, this film from first-time directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris undermines the ...
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Little Miss Sunshine is an American family road comedy that shatters the mold. Brazenly satirical and yet deeply human, the film introduces audiences to one of the most endearingly fractured families in recent cinema history: the Hoovers, whose trip to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transformation and a moving look at the surprising rewards of ...
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User Reviews. Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) is trying hold this crazy family together. Her brother Frank Ginsberg (Steve Carell) is just released after his suicide attempt. Her husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a bad motivational speaker who is always talking about winning except he's a loser himself. Her son Dwayne (Paul Dano) is tired of his ...
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Movie Review. Co-director Jonathan Dayton jokes that Little Miss Sunshine is a "thinking man's National Lampoon's Vacation." ... The oft-stated rationale behind why Little Miss Sunshine has more than enough antisocial content to earn an R rating is that, in the words of producer Albert Berger, this is how "families really interact and ...
BBC
It will definitely leave you with that feel-good glow. Little Miss Sunshine is released in UK cinemas on 8th September 2006. End Credits. Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. Writer: Michael ...
'Little Miss Sunshine' at 15
Starring: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Beth Grant. As wonderful as it is, 15 years on Little Miss Sunshine has a lot to answer for. The "quirky Sundance comedy-drama" seemed to gain a lot of traction after the successful debut of this film in 2006, anything matching ...
'Little Miss Sunshine' Review: Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell Star
Film Review: 'Little Miss Sunshine' Production: A Fox Searchlight release of a Big Beach/Bonafide production. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa.
Little Miss Sunshine Review
15. Original Title: Little Miss Sunshine. This marvellous satire of modern** **life and family values calls to mind the wit of The Simpsons and the chutzpah of Malcolm In The Middle and ...
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Olive's uncle Frank, a renowned Proust scholar, has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne, a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence, which allows him to escape somewhat from the family whose very presence torments him.
"Little Miss Sunshine" Review
In fact, I couldn't even sit down at the computer and finish my review until this morning about 5:00 A.M. "Little Miss Sunshine" is THAT kind of film...it's the kind of film that makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you think and makes you feel. It presents its characters, the Hoover family, with honesty rather than histrionics and compassion ...
Little Miss Sunshine reviewed.
Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight) is a breezy goodbye to all that, a sweet-natured throwback to an era when once in a while, someone made a movie just for the hell of it. It won't crush any ...
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Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin), aged seven, loves beauty pageants and unexpectedly wins the local contest. This forces her family to take her on the long journey from Albuquerque to California to compete in the national 'Little Miss Sunshine' Contest. Her father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is an unemployed motivational speaker who believes that ...
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Trailer #1
Check out the official Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Trailer starring Abigail Breslin! Let us know what you think in the comments below. Watch on FandangoNOW:...
41 Facts About The Movie Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a heartwarming comedy-drama with a talented cast, catchy music, and a message about embracing imperfections. It's a must-watch for film lovers of all ages! The film explores family dynamics, resilience, and the pursuit of unconventional dreams. It's a timeless movie that continues to resonate with audiences, leaving ...
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Movie Review: Crowd-Pleasing Indie
'Little Miss Sunshine': The movies' latest loving family. Directed by husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, music video directors making their feature-film debut, from a screenplay by Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine proves once and for all that loving families can come in all sizes, shapes, and VW vans.
Sunshine movie review & film summary (2007)
2057: A Sun Odyssey. Roger Ebert July 19, 2007. Tweet. "Sunshine" sets the controls for the heart of the sun. Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch. As a permanent winter settles upon the Earth, a spaceship is sent on a desperate mission to drop a nuclear device into the sick sun and "re-ignite" it. To name the ship "Icarus I" seems like ...
The Drama That Mistakes a Coen Brothers Classic for a ...
Documentary. Drama. Thriller. Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge ...

'Little Miss Sunshine': You’re Either on the Family Bus, or You’re Off

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