Review: Miss Little Sunshine

Went to see Little Miss Sunshine a few days ago, and I recommend the movie to anyone can handle off-beat, bittersweet comedies, the type of sub-genre developed to greatest effect in recent years by directors like Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums).

The common feature of his movies, and Little Miss Sunshine - directed by big-screen newcomers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, a husband and wife team - is that at the center of the film are single-minded eccentrics, possessed by some form of mania. The brother, in Sunshine, is a Nietzsche-reading, sullen teen who has taken a vow of silence while seeking to join the Air Force. The father, brilliantly constructed by Greg Kinnear, is a wanna-be self-help guru who preaches intolerance for losers. And at the center of the family is Olive, a little girl who wants to be in a beauty contest - and whose innocent ambitions the rest of the family is willing to protect. The final scene, an over-the-top beauty pageant , manages to be more clever, ironic and (for lack of a better word) simply heartfelt than anything I've seen in recent memory.

Ultimately the movie is about the continuing affection of our families, no matter how bizarrely constructed. These people, if we are lucky enough to have them, are often the final precarious buffer against the cruelty that often result when our passions smash against the world at large.

A review of this movie wouldn't be complete without the mention of Steve Carell, who plays a suicidal gay Proust scholar. The role, I've heard, was originally pitched at Bill Murray, who undoubtedly could have done the job. But Carell turns in an excellent performance, and now we know that not only is he a gifted comedian - but he can also hit that wide expanse of dramatic notes between serious and funny, like Murray and so many of the great performers.

Finally I'm pleased this movie was made in the first place. How did this screenplay look on the page, and how did the producers have the confidence required to envision the final product? This must have seemed like a risky proposition, but somebody had courage in Hollywood, and whenever that happens we should be grateful, especially if we want better films.

Tags: Movies, Little Miss Sunshine, Steve Carell