I have this aunt named Betty. Betty is kind of an odd duck. She likes to talk a lot and, more often than not, it’s about something you don’t really care about. She’s not crazy or anything by any stretch of the word. She’s just kind of odd. She likes to put on lots and lots of make-up but she doesn’t really put it on properly. Her eyelashes are always caked with mascara. Her lipstick is generally also on her teeth in addition to her lips. Most of my family avoids her. I do to. But I also feel kind of sad for her. She’s kind of old and lonely see, and I get the feeling that she just wants a friend. But she’s so socially awkward that being friends with her would be like teaching a bear to wipe his ass. Difficult, to say the least. So consequently we all try to avoid prolonged conversations with her. I’m sure you know at least one person or family member like this. You probably take the same tact with them that we take with Aunt Betty. Avoid a drawn out conversation with them at all costs.
Little Miss Sunshine is about what happens when you take a family of Aunt Bettys and force them to communicate.
You’ve got a foul-mouthed heroin snorting grandfather. A dad that’s trying to pitch a self-help program to publishers. A son who’s taken a vow of silence until he accomplishes his goal of getting into the Air Force. A gay uncle who’s just attempted suicide. A homely young daughter who wants to win beauty pageants. And a distracted mom trying to keep them all together. Each one of them has their own worldview that is a source of irritation with everyone else in the family. They don’t talk much anymore. Then an opportunity for the daughter to compete in the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant, 800 miles away, forces them all into an old VW bus to drive her there. It’s here in the unairconditioned confines of the bus that the family finally starts to really communicate, even if it’s only out of sheer boredom. Along the trip each member has either a breakdown or an epiphany which snaps them out of their malaise and makes them realize how much they truly love their family.
The danger with putting this much quirkiness into a movie is that it can feel forced. And it’s only thanks to an incredible cast that the movie never crosses into cheap sentimentality. Alan Arkin and Steve Carrell are especially good in the two roles that could have ended up being annoying but thanks to their great interpretation of the characters make the grandfather and the uncle especially endearing. The movie as a whole, in fact, is very charming despite the fact that it is itself, an Aunt Betty. It has all the typical “independent film” tricks. Quirky music. Well known actors proving their depth. And last but certainly not least, titles all done in a minimalist font. Oh yeah, dig it man. Dig it.
Still, Little Miss Sunshine is a rare gem in that it manages to get its somewhat heavy handed message across in a lighthearted and charming way. Even if it sometimes gets its lipstick on its teeth, you’ll forgive it and make friends pretty quick.
8/10
