LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Written by Michael Arndt, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
WHEN LOSERS ARE WINNERS
In these dark days of endless horror in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan, and here, in the US, when folks get word that they have "lost" a loved one, and the body count rises daily - - I could go on, but you get the picture - - often a gut-splitting laugh can act as a balm to shredded emotions.
So put a little sunshine into your life. Waste no time getting to the theatre to see "Little Miss Sunshine." A smash at Sundance, this wonderful little indie film is about the Hoovers, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, a struggling, middle-class extended family. There's working Mom, Sheryl (Toni Collette), wanna-be motivational entrepreneur Dad, Richard (Greg Kinnear), Kinnear's foul-mouthed, heroin-snorting Dad (Alan Arkin, as Grandpa), their pre-pubescent, freckle-faced, pot-bellied, bespectacled daughter from this marriage, Olive (Abigal Breslin). Olive dreams of becoming a Beauty Queen. Typical, right? Enter suicidal, gay, respected Proust scholar, Uncle Frank (Steve Carrell ["The Office" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"]). Sheryl is Frank's guardian. There's no spare room so he's to bunk with Sheryl's son Dwayne (Paul Dano), from a previous marriage, a sullen, non-speaking, Nietzsche-obsessed, teenager. Grandpa's language alone is guaranteed to get the conservative right's and child protection agencies' undies in a serious twist.
What drives the film is Olive's chance to compete in the pre-teen Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant in Redondo Beach, California. Bonus: she'll meet the real Miss California! There's a catch. She must get there by 3PM tomorrow! The family has no money for airfare and can't leave Uncle Frank home alone, so they all pile into an old VW bus for the 700 mile trip. Trust me, this is no idiot Robin Williams caper. During the drive, Mom and Dad argue, get pissed at each other, deal with Grandpa when he gives advice to Dwayne on what he must do before he gets old, all dealing with sex, of course. They tolerate Dwayne's mute anger. He communicates with pen and paper ("I hate everyone!" "Even your family?" Frank asks. Dwayne underlines "Everyone!"). The strong bond between Sheryl and Richard is evident as they exchange looks when Frank talks to Olive as though she were an adult, about his love life and suicide attempt.
Grandpa's been coaching Olive on her routine of which the filmmakers give us only a small hint when Grandpa rehearses Olive on her growl in a motel room. We don�t see her act till the very end. Before Olive goes on, she is preceded by a parade of JonBenet Ramsey (Bless her tiny soul) clones made up like spangled trapeze artists or waitresses from a 1950s diner. The scene of the bouffant-haired pageant sponsors, staff, and the horrified MC all racing around, breaking their necks to stop Olive as Mom, Dad, Uncle Frank, and Dwayne join her act, is sure to go down as one of the all-time most hilarious bits in movie history. The beauty of "Little Miss Sunshine," which was made for about eight million bucks, is that it just flows. There are hairpin curves (literally and figuratively) and nothing is telegraphed. You really have no idea what's going to happen next. And there are no clich�s. You see them coming, but to your relief and delight, the film takes another tack.
The family experiences crises and heartbreak: shattered dreams, a death, but all are handled with intelligence, humor, and love, thanks to the superior script by Michael Arndt. You'll find yourself tearing up and laughing, often at the same time.
"Little Miss Sunshine," which opened to a limited release last week is now at four theatres in San Francisco: UA Stonestown, The Balboa, The Metro, and The Metrion.
Check the Web or local papers for times.