Little Miss Sunshine review

1 comment | Published by Rach Read |

Little Miss Sunshine has been described as an indie film.  Worrying because these days ‘indie’ seems a byword for pretentious movies devoid of plot that go nowhere for far too long.  Thankfully, Little Miss Sunshine is none of these things and as lovely as its title suggests.

It features that indie staple, a dysfunctional family – dad Richard (Greg Kinnear) gives lectures on how to be a winner, yet is a bit of a loser himself; uncle Frank (Steve Carrell) is a troubled and suicidal gay academic; surly teen son Dwayne (Paul Dano) refuses to talk and Grandpa (Alan Arkin) is a heroin-snorting porn-loving rogue.  Holding it all together is frenetic housewife Sheryl (Toni Collette) and Little Miss Sunshine herself, beauty-pageant loving Olive (Abigail Breslin).  Another indie staple, the long road trip, follows the family’s attempts to get Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest on time.

This film has been nominated for all manner of awards, and deservingly so because it’s fantastic.  What could easily have become a predictable cliché of a movie is elevated by great scriptwriting and the brilliant performances of a uniformly excellent cast.  Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette, two of the most versatile and consistent actors of the past few years, do not disappoint whilst Alan Arkin plays the rogue perfectly (to Oscar-winning effect).  Steve Carrell gives a subtle, sad and finely-nuanced performance, all the more surprising given his frat-pack credentials.  But best of all is Abigail Breslin, the heart of the movie, who is warm charming and wonderful, without ever being cutesy.

Overall, this is a film that is funny and touching in equal measure.  It is also, despite its occasional predictability, heartbreakingly real – the scene where Kinnear tells Olive not to eat ice-cream is a stand-out.  One of the best films of 2006 with a real feelgood factor, it’s a little indie gem.