Little Miss Sunshine
Y
Jan 23, 2006
This review was written for the festival screening of "Little Miss Sunshine."
PARK CITY -- A screwball family takes to the road and wondrously finds itself in this crowd-pleaser at Sundance. A brainy blend of farce and heart, this is one of those movies that veteran moviegoers complain they don't make anymore. Most winningly, "Little Miss Sunshine" should radiate warm appreciation across age and class lines.
Centering on the Hoover clan, a brood as goofy as any in this dysfunctional age, "Sunshine" rambles cross-country in the comic fashion of a latter-day "National Lampoon's Vacation." Up front in the crowded yellow VW are Pop, a tightly wired motivational speaker; Mom, a decidedly desperate housewife; oldest child Dwayne, who refuses to speak; and tiny Olive, who dreams of winning a beauty contest. Further back are the extended, and even more addled family members: cantankerous gramps and Mom's depressed professorial sibling. As quirky as the tribe it transports, the VW not only can't start without a running push but incessantly honks.
As this aggregation sputters and rambles toward California (where else?), each member must confront a personal failure. Screenwriter Michael Arndt has brilliantly woven each family member's problems into an endearing and transforming amusement. Under the splendid modulation of co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, "Sunshine" careens along with a perfect combustion of character and comedy.
It's a tribute to the well-assembled cast that each character is not only antic in their own way but also identifiably human and sympathetic: Greg Kinnear shows fiber in the father's surface shallow character, while Toni Collette infuses an addled vulnerability to her role as the overstretched mom.
Alan Arkin is inspirationally whacko as a man nearing the end of his run. He is truly the court jester and, to a large extent, the off-center compass of this film's moral pinions. As the kids, Paul Dano is expressive as the non-talking Dwayne, while young Abigail Breslin is a vital blend of klutziness and grace as the ambitious grade-schooler. As the suicidal Proust scholar, Steve Carell distills an array of emotions into a credible whole.
Fueling this fun are the smart technical contributions: Credit composer Mychael Danna for the frothy sounds and Kalina Ivanov for the nutty middle-class production design.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Fox Searchlight
A Dayton/Faris Film and Big Beach/Bonafide production
Credits:
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Screenwriter: Michael Arndt
Producers: Marc Turteltaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa
Director of photography: Tim Suhrstedt
Production designer: Kalina Ivanov
Music: Mychael Danna
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Editor: Pamela Martin
Cast:
Olive: Abigail Breslin
Richard: Greg Kinnear
Dwayne: Paul Dano
Grandpa: Alan Arkin
Sheryl: Toni Collette
Frank: Steve Carell
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 101 minutes
PARK CITY -- A screwball family takes to the road and wondrously finds itself in this crowd-pleaser at Sundance. A brainy blend of farce and heart, this is one of those movies that veteran moviegoers complain they don't make anymore. Most winningly, "Little Miss Sunshine" should radiate warm appreciation across age and class lines.
Centering on the Hoover clan, a brood as goofy as any in this dysfunctional age, "Sunshine" rambles cross-country in the comic fashion of a latter-day "National Lampoon's Vacation." Up front in the crowded yellow VW are Pop, a tightly wired motivational speaker; Mom, a decidedly desperate housewife; oldest child Dwayne, who refuses to speak; and tiny Olive, who dreams of winning a beauty contest. Further back are the extended, and even more addled family members: cantankerous gramps and Mom's depressed professorial sibling. As quirky as the tribe it transports, the VW not only can't start without a running push but incessantly honks.
As this aggregation sputters and rambles toward California (where else?), each member must confront a personal failure. Screenwriter Michael Arndt has brilliantly woven each family member's problems into an endearing and transforming amusement. Under the splendid modulation of co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, "Sunshine" careens along with a perfect combustion of character and comedy.
It's a tribute to the well-assembled cast that each character is not only antic in their own way but also identifiably human and sympathetic: Greg Kinnear shows fiber in the father's surface shallow character, while Toni Collette infuses an addled vulnerability to her role as the overstretched mom.
Alan Arkin is inspirationally whacko as a man nearing the end of his run. He is truly the court jester and, to a large extent, the off-center compass of this film's moral pinions. As the kids, Paul Dano is expressive as the non-talking Dwayne, while young Abigail Breslin is a vital blend of klutziness and grace as the ambitious grade-schooler. As the suicidal Proust scholar, Steve Carell distills an array of emotions into a credible whole.
Fueling this fun are the smart technical contributions: Credit composer Mychael Danna for the frothy sounds and Kalina Ivanov for the nutty middle-class production design.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Fox Searchlight
A Dayton/Faris Film and Big Beach/Bonafide production
Credits:
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Screenwriter: Michael Arndt
Producers: Marc Turteltaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa
Director of photography: Tim Suhrstedt
Production designer: Kalina Ivanov
Music: Mychael Danna
Costume designer: Nancy Steiner
Editor: Pamela Martin
Cast:
Olive: Abigail Breslin
Richard: Greg Kinnear
Dwayne: Paul Dano
Grandpa: Alan Arkin
Sheryl: Toni Collette
Frank: Steve Carell
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 101 minutes
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