A review: Little Miss Sunshine

Disclaimer: Spoilers ahoy!

IMDB / official site

The story is about a dysfunctional family’s impromptu road trip to get the youngest (and probably, the most normal) member of the family to participate the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant in California.

Little Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) is thrilled when she received news that she is qualified in the pageant after months of preparations. Despite the family having another bout of arguments, she is busy packing up her bags and excitedly chanting, “I’ve won! I’ve won!” around the room.

Prior to Little Miss Sunshine, directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have been long time partners working on various music videos for famous musicians, such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, R.E.M, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer. For first timers in the movie business, I would say they have done a pretty decent job.

Things kicked off in the Hoover family when Sheryl (Toni Collette) welcomed her brother, Frank (Steve Carell), into her humble home after he regretfully failed to commit suicide. Immediately, from there on, all the nasty habits of the family members were revealed over a noisy dinner of chicken in the bucket. Father Hoover, Richard (Greg Kinnear), was an overachiever promoting his self-motivation scheme and would not tolerate losers, where one of them happened to be Uncle Frank. Brother Hoover, Dwayne (Paul Dano) decided to stop talking nine months ago just because of Friedrich Nietzsche and hated everyone. Grandpa Hoover, Edwin (Alan Arkin) snuck snorts of heroine in the bathroom and coached Olive’s talent performance in the backyard. Mother Hoover, Sheryl, just wished everyone would get along.

Having faith was what kept the family going all the way to California for the pageant. (Well, they have to, or not there will not be a movie altogether). Throughout the journey, the Gods were unkind to them and befell one after another an unfortunate event on every single one of them. The clutch on the old VW van broke down and everyone had to push the vehicle before getting it fired up. Richard learned that his self-motivation scheme failed to turn heads and bankruptcy was soon to occur. Frank bumped into the grad student who initiated the suicide attempt when he rejected Frank for another scholar. Grandpa died. Uh, yes. And Dwayne found out that he was colour blind; his dream of becoming a pilot totally shattered. There was a particular scene where everyone was so into in their own problems, sitting on their white asses moping and sulking. They were halfway down the road when they realised they have left Olive behind.

But as the saying goes, “when there’s a will, there’s a way”. Despite everyone’s loss in life, they were determined to keep Olive’s dream alive. They refused to let her into the adult’s life of deprivation and depression while she was at such a young age. She would have the rest of her life to get herself acquainted with the dark side of the moon but in the mean while, while she still can, it would be nice that she lived her age and be happy.

One scene that got me was when Dwayne found out that he was colour blind. At that one split second, a lifelong dream he has been anticipating for, one that would fly him away (all the puns intended) from his dysfunctional family, crashed and burned just because of this teeny weeny handicap. Literally, he was about to combust after not speaking and holding everything in for nine months. It was scary but it was sort of something I could relate to being the lacked of speaking one among family and friends. But then, his dialogues kind of went overboard with a hell lot of the F-word.

DeVotchKa provided the scores for the movie and it was a unique and good choice. The quartet trod the lines of Sicilian and Gypsy music with haunting vocals and heavy strings, and chanting chords of the sousaphone, piano and percussion. There was also an accordion, a trumpet, a bouzouki, and a theremin. No, I do not know what the latter two are. It was a good combination as the group ventured down the highway with DeVotchKa crooning at the background.

This is where I wrap things up with something, hopefully, profound and persuading. Of course it will fail but I shall say it nonetheless. Little Miss Sunshine, Fox Searchlight’s indie movie of dark comedy and adventure. The movie avoided the popular Hollywood clichés of someone in the group falling in love along the journey, or a close-ended curtain call where everybody finally gets along and live happily ever after. (OK, maybe even a Hollywood would not go for such old school cliché). But I guess this is what indie movies are all about, going along with the simplest things in life, things that matter to everyone personally, things that we have gone through before. Or not. (Here I go: something profound). The truth is, there are bound to be obstacles in life before reaching the finish line, stopping you from achieving your goals and hoping they would kill whatever hope you have in life itself. But I guess the key is to persevere and stay faithful. I guess it is how you choose to deal with these demons that will make your life’s story special. And maybe someday, hit the silver screen.