Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine

Hoffman Center Alexandria VA 22307 AMC Theater

Rating: 7 ½ out of 10

The R rating is from the language used.

The movie encompasses the dysfunction of six family members on a road trip from New Mexico to California. The story puts a suicidal gay, a teen who chooses not to speak, a heroin using grandfather, a self-promoting jerk of a father, little girl obsessed with a beauty pageant, and a mother struggling with everything going on into a yellow VW bus for the duration of the film.
The film stays relatively in touch with reality for the most part, adding humor where there should be humor and more humor where there shouldn’t be. Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, and Toni Collette are just two of the stars in the movie. Everyone appeared to work well with each other. I didn’t hear any reviews through the media to compare my thoughts with other reviews.
I’m a big fan of Steve Carell; just about everything he says in the movie amuses me. His style of humor is much more subtle than his previous performances, but still retains the effectiveness in the delivery and timing of his lines.
I love Alan Arkin’s (the Grandfather) role the most out of everyone’s character in the movie. Most of my laughs came from his obscene outbursts and behavior towards everything going on around him.
The finale at the end contained a number of funny elements, but it could have ended better. It was funny, but not hilarious. I probably wouldn’t watch this movie again unless I knew someone who was also a fan of Steve Carell that wanted to watch it. Carell was the main reason why I wanted to see this and I was not disappointed.
Some people may be a little confused by some of my comments about the movie and it boils down to this: I like it, but it wasn’t great. The movie retains my appreciation, but it just isn’t my ideal genre. If you like independent films like The Tenebaums and The Life Aquatic, this movie was a lot like it and I am sure you will think it’s great. I was half-expecting Bill Murray to make an appearance. The scenes and props had the same resonance as the above mentioned.