Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Directors:

Jonathan Dayton
Valerie Faris

Writer (WGA):

Michael Arndt (written by)

Release Date:

18 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Where's Olive?

Plot:

A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

Plot Keywords:

Pageant | Proust | Loser | Beauty Pageant | Drugs

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 41 wins & 48 nominations

Cast

Abigail Breslin	...	Olive Hoover
Greg Kinnear	...	Richard Hoover
Paul Dano	...	Dwayne
Alan Arkin	...	Grandpa Edwin Hoover
Toni Collette	...	Sheryl Hoover
Steve Carell	...	Frank Ginsberg
Marc Turtletaub	...	Doctor #1
Jill Talley	...	Cindy
Brenda Canela	...	Diner Waitress
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Mechanic
Chuck Loring	...	Convenience Store Proprietor
Justin Shilton	...	Josh
Gordon Thomson	...	Larry Sugarman
Steven Christopher Parker	...	Teen Boy #1
Bryan Cranston	...	Stan Grossman

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sex and drug content.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:M | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R (certificate #42333) | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIB | Germany:6 | Sweden:7 | New Zealand:R13 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Brazil:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Japan:PG-12 | Chile:TE | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

Though they are supposed to be mother and son, the difference of age between Toni Collette and Paul Dano is just 12 years.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sheryl is backstage with Olive before going on for the talent competition, the little girl who does the Navy-style dance is seen being primped in the background. When Dwayne is seen running down the corridor to prevent Olive from going on, the same little girl is seen walking through the hallway. When the scene cuts back to Sheryl and Olive, the little girl is still there.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Richard: There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers.

Movie Connections:

References See Spot Run (2001)

Soundtrack:

Tu Abandono

The story of a young girl who wants to be in a beauty pageant.

I went to a screening of this film at Sundance earlier this year, and this is what I wrote about it immediately following:

This was a little less indie, cast-wise, but was jarringly real in a way that Hollywood rarely fosters. The story is of a limply-functional family, whose good leg is dysfunctional, and of the way that their love for each other is solid, somewhere underneath the varying shades of crazy. This film. Oh, this film! I have never laughed harder, and at such true-to-life comedy--nothing silly or goofy or forced or fake about the lines. It felt more like watching a documentary (minus all the familiar faces) and every time the laughter became almost unbearable, a little dash of agony or melancholic sadness was thrown in, and spawned aching tears. I sigh still, thinking of how completely in control of my insides that cast, that writer, that director all were. They owned my ass, and I will love them forever for it.

I can't wait to see it again. Do NOT miss it.