LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
"There are two kinds of people in the world -- winners and losers," Richard (Greg Kinnear), a motivational speaker whose claim to fame is his nine-step "Refuse to Lose" program, lectures a thinly populated and utterly bored audience. As you might guess in a film perkily titled LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, Richard isn't exactly a winner himself. The titular head of a very dysfunctional family, he ladles up his advice at home like pouring syrup on a big stack of pancakes, not that his wife Sheryl (Toni Collette) would ever consider actually cooking anything. Her meals consist of one fast food dinner after another.
"Luck is the name losers give to their own failings," a smugly smiling Richard lectures his family at dinner, as they prepare to puke. Earlier the discussions over the bucket of fried chicken had been about Uncle Frank (Steve Carell, 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN) and his accident. Sheryl had to explain to Olive (Abigail Breslin) that it wasn't really an accident, since he tried and failed to commit suicide. (Failure is something this family majors in.) The number one Proust scholar in America, Frank tried to kill himself because -- well, it's complicated.
Back to the aphorisms. "Don't apologize," Richard tells his daughter, "It's a sign of weakness." Another sign apparently is the eating of ice cream, since he puts pressure on the slightly pudgy Olive to pass on the sweets in order to improve her chances at the Little Miss Sunshine competition, which she hopes desperately to win. Her coach is her foul-mouthed grandfather, played but not overplayed by Alan Arkin. Her grandfather secretly snorts heroin to pass the time.
"Sarcasm is losers trying bring winners down to their level," Richard advises his brother-in-law Frank. Rounding out this happy little family is 15-year-old Dwayne (Paul Dano). Dwayne is mute by choice. Following Nietzsche and reading his works like Maoists read their leader's thoughts, Dwayne has a singular ambition. He wants to go to the Air Force Academy and learn to be a test pilot. He has vowed not to speak until he realizes this dream.
If you're like me, you've seen a lot of comedies in your lifetime and many of them about crazy families. But, trust me, you've never seen anything quite like this before. And, it's not only funny, it is as endearing as it is weird. These people make abnormal appear perfectly normal and reasonable.
The ensemble cast is absolutely terrific. Even the bit parts are great. Paula Newsome, for example, is awesome as Linda, an uncaring hospital administrator from hell.
There are also several little episodes in the film that are deliciously funny. In one, the family's yellow VW bus, which they have to push to get started each time as they journey to California for the pageant, gets hilarious horn hiccups. One incident that could be considered funny is more frightening than anything else, when we finally get to see what eight-year-olds look like when vamped up to look like adult beauty contestants. It's downright creepy.
But the movie is a real joy, nonetheless, with an exhilarating and bizarre musical number to end it all.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE runs 1:41. It is rated R for "language, some sex and drug content" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the Century theaters.
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