I was delighted to see Little
Miss Sunshine in my alphabet soup of Best Original Screenplay winners, as
it is one of my favorite films. Released in 2006, it has an all-star ensemble
cast who play a family focused on getting to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty
pageant in Redondo Beach, California. This involves a cross-country road trip
from Albuquerque to the coast in an old yellow VW van. The film is rated R for
language, some sex and drug content.
Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) wins a minor beauty pageant
in her hometown and is invited to attend the contest of Little Miss Sunshine.
Her parents, Sheryl (Toni Collette) and Richard (Greg Kinnear), agree to take
her there, but must also take the rest of their family along with them.
Dwayne (Paul Dano) is their voluntarily mute teenage son
focused on becoming a pilot in the air force; Frank (Steve Carell) is Sheryl’s
gay brother, recently recovering from a serious suicide attempt; and Grandpa
(Alan Arkin) is Richard’s grandfather, living with them after having been
kicked out of his retirement home.
When a film’s characters talk about philosophers such as Proust
and Nietzsche, you know it’s not your typical Hollywood story. Michael Arndt
won Best Original Screenplay as the writer of this delightful and intelligent
comedy. Alan Arkin won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role
as Grandpa.
There is so much to laugh about, even though the comedy is a
bit dark at times. Richard is a perpetual optimist, set on becoming the next
big self help guru, helping winners succeed through using his nine steps, no
less. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) appears as Stan Grossman, Richard’s
business contact that he hopes will be able to get his nine-step work
published.
Olive practices diligently on her dancing routine, which is
coached by her Grandpa. The film culminates in typical beauty pageant fashion where
little girls compete in swimsuits, gowns and in the talent category. Since we
never get to actually see Olive and Grandpa rehearse, the delightful debut of
Olive on stage is even more exciting than you could imagine, along with many
other surprises along the way.
The family has to push and pull together to help Olive meet
her goals. This is an entertaining film that I love to watch. Although the
family lives in Albuquerque, it was filmed in Arizona and California. It has a
good pace and everyone’s individual lives are focused on and showcased during
the trip and the action. The well-known cast does a wonderful job with this
story.
Abigail Breslin was off to a good start in this film, as she
was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets), Toni
Collette (The Sixth Sense), and Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) have all been
nominated for Oscars in the films I just listed, and I don’t doubt that Paul
Dano will be next. Look for more films by these wonderful actors and actresses;
you won’t be disappointed.