DVD Review - “Little Miss Sunshine”
GRADE: A
The reviews have been unanimous with this movie, they have been across the board great. This was one of the many reasons I chose to go see this movie on the big screen, and why I will purchase it for my own DVD collection. “Little Miss Sunshine” is the perfect holiday family gathering film. It is a simple, lovely little movie with a great message for families to follow.
The talent in this movie is huge. Greg Kinnear gives a great performance as the father of a quirky family with tight bonds. I love Toni Collette with every fiber of my being. She has a track record that is stunning, she never ceases to amaze me. Steve Carrell is on a roll. He has consistently proved that he is a great actor and in “Sunshine” we see he can do serious, touching acting. He is so believable as the suicidal gay uncle that you forget this is the “40 Year Old Virgin” you are watching.
The little actress that plays “Olive Hoover” in the movie is sensational and is creating Oscar buzz for her sweet role that is the glue for this bizarre family unit. Olive is the glue that holds her family together, she gives off a sense of hop eher family craves for themselves. Her gumption and brazen courage performing at the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant was belly aching funny and a bit creepy in parts, but it is sure to make you laugh out loud.
The obvious underlined weird subtext of child pageants was not lost on the director. He didn’t make the lifestyle glamorous and he didn’t directly target the smarmy pedophilia laced element of these events. This movie is about more than the image obsessed kids and the over bearing parents. It is about a solid involved family with strong quirky bonds.
I cried twice in this film and laughed out loud numerous times. I loved the dialog and soundtrack. All the characters were believable and original and it was refreshing to see a family portrayed unconventionally and realistically. I love Alan Arkin as the grandfather, his performance is Oscar worthy in my book. The slapstick moments with him are peppered with hilarious touching scenes. His reasoning behind being a heroin addict at age 80 is pure genius and one of the funniest moments in the film.
The yellow VW bus should be credited as a supporting character in “Sunshine”. The mayhem and turmoil the family endures traveling in the VW on their road trip to California symbolizes the bond and strength of the family. The ending is very poignant as the family collectively pushes the car and each one helps the other into the moving vehicle. As you can see I love this movie, and have already declared this as one of my top ten faves. I am glad it is getting the recognition it deserves.
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