We’ve all been there in one way or another. Staring at the television at someone who has achieved something we want for ourselves and feeling motivated to go after it, even if the likelihood is virtually non-existent. Little Miss Sunshine opens with Olive (Abigail Breslin), a ten year old girl, watching a beauty pageant on tv and dreaming about being the one in that spotlight. This is a dream of many young girls, most of whom will never get that opportunity simply because the body they were born with doesn’t fall into the narrow window of the modern-day beauty standards. In this case, while Olive is cute as a button and has a personality and drive that many would find envious, she isn’t “blessed” (cursed is more like it) with the rail-thin body and exploitative parents that live for parading their children around in beauty pageants. It is also of note that this film was made during the onslaught of reality television, the tragedy of JonBenét Ramsey the previous decade, and the build-up to such shows as Toddlers and Tiaras. This is the world that Olive is growing up in.
Olive has qualified for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant being held in Redondo Beach, California, in two days. She has been practicing with her grandfather (Alan Arkin) a dance routine, but even though we do not see enough of it to know what to expect, over the course of the film, we learn enough about the grandfather to predict what that dance number will be like. Grandpa has recently moved back in with the family when his nursing home evicted him for sleeping around and snorting heroin. He has no filter and believes that you would have to be crazy not to do drugs when you are old; never do them when you are young. His acting out and self-destructive behavior seems to hint at an underlying depression.
Olive’s uncle, Frank (Steve Carell), on the other hand, is openly depressed. When we are introduced to him, he is being released from the hospital after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Frank was, until recently, working at university and considered the leading scholar of Proust. But when he tried to have a relationship with one of his male students, things degenerated until he found himself without a job, love, or a real reason to live anymore. Now that he is discharged from the hospital, it is up to the family to watch out for him and prevent any further attempts on his own life.
Olive’s half-brother, Dwayne (Paul Dano), has set his own goals in life. He wants to be a fighter pilot and has taken a vow of silence until he accomplishes that dream. He spends his days reading Nietzsche and generally hating everyone. When Frank is brought home, he has to bunk with Dwayne so that he is never being left alone, something Dwayne resents. He is content to just be left alone and ignored.
Lastly, there are the parents. Sheryl (Toni Collette) and Richard (Greg Kinnear) have a troubled relationship that stems from Richard’s frustrations as an aspiring motivational speaker and an inability to read the room and stop trying to force his 9-step program on the other members of the family. He means well, but more often than not, his way of communicating with the others in the family is cold and comes across as uncaring. That, coupled with his frustrations trying to get his program off the ground and turned into a career, has led to many arguments between him and Sheryl, who is desperately trying to hold the whole family together.
When Olive qualifies for the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, this motley group of people has to hit the road in an unreliable VW van and traverse the 700 miles to Redondo Beach so that she can compete. As expected, not everything goes according to plans. But this is no National Lampoon’s Vacation. The comedy comes at the service of character development and is accompanied by some truly heartbreaking discoveries. Ultimately, Olive learns that being a winner doesn’t mean winning so much as being willing to try even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin are the two actors recognized with Oscar nominations in this film, but the reality is there are no weak members in this cast. The Academy Awards has added a Best Cast Oscar for this upcoming ceremony, but had it had that category this year, Little Miss Sunshine would have won. All you have to do is look at the scene when Sheryl comes to pick up Frank from the hospital, and you will see so many different emotions clashing against each other without the crutch of dialogue spoiling it. Frank doesn’t have to act out to sell just how hopelessly lost he is. It’s right there in his every move. He looks absolutely used up and spit out. Sheryl, on the other hand, is concerned for his safety while also unsure how she is going to be able to handle this additional burden when she is already struggling in her own family life. She is more than willing to do her part but is so unsure of herself.
Abigail Breslin is a real standout in the cast. She was nine years old when this was filmed but has to navigate an emotional landmine that would intimidate a seasoned performer. When we see her at the diner shortly after the road trip begins, she is excited about ordering some ice cream and pie. But that excitement turns into uncertainty thanks to some ill-chosen words by Richard, who, thinking he is doing the right thing, makes her body conscious and in danger of developing an eating disorder. You can see on her face that she is conflicted and confused because she still wants the dessert, but now she is afraid it will ruin her chances at winning Little Miss Sunshine. To her sheer delight, she later finds out that the reining beauty queen loves ice cream and even has a favorite flavor.
Later, when she is actually up on the stage, fully aware that she is out of her league amongst these career beauty queens, she navigates the emotional turmoil of going out on stage anyway, performing the heck out of her grandfather’s routine, and facing the hostile audience. She almost loses it in this moment but recovers when her family, realizing that the most important thing is to support her and let her be her, joins her on stage. She already has learned that this isn’t her world, but that doesn’t matter. She has a support system to hold her up and celebrate her for who she is, not for who she isn’t.
The least interesting character, albeit not by much, is Dwayne. This is not because of anything Paul Dano is or is not doing, but because his arc is a bit on the rote side. He wants to be a fighter pilot, which would require him to join the military. When we are introduced to him, he is doing some rudimentary exercises but nothing on the level that would aid him in basic training. He comes across as the typical angsty teenager with the sole stand-out attribute being his vow of silence. The most interesting thing about this is that the rest of the family has accepted this vow as a matter of fact, even the grandfather who thinks it is stupid but loves his grandson anyway. He scribbles out angry messages on a note pad but otherwise remains incommunicado. His breakdown late in the film is perhaps the hardest to watch because it feels like his whole reason to live is abruptly taken from him.
Director team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris made their directorial debut with this film. While they mainly direct television episodes these days, they made three films together, all of which are interesting ones, especially their follow-up to Little Miss Sunshine, Ruby Sparks, reuniting with Paul Dano. It’s always impressive when a director’s debut gets Oscar recognition, especially for Best Picture. This could have easily taken the win were it not for Martin Scorsese and his much-deserved win for The Departed. It is a bit head-scratching that they were snubbed for the Best Director Oscar.
This film has been classified as a tragicomedy. I would disagree with that description. I feel that, while there are some major setbacks in the lives of the characters, this film is still life-affirming. No one is going to come out of this achieving their dreams, but that doesn’t matter. The truly important thing is that they tried and they have family to help hold them up, no matter what. It’s a beautiful message that makes this film an uplifting one. It’s crass at times, especially during some of Grandpa’s more vulgar rants, but it is also heartwarming and very relatable.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, and Marc Turtletaub
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Alan Arkin (won)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Abigail Breslin
Best Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt (won)
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Release Date: July 26, 2006
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Rated R
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin
Directed By: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
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