Little Miss Sunshine
Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Rated: M
now screening

Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a self help motivator looking to build his franchise, dragging long suffering wife Sheryl (Toni Collette) into his schemes. Their seven year old daughter, Olive, gets a chance to enter a beauty contest, and they put their troubles behind them to help her achieve her dream.

This becomes harder when they're joined by Sheryl's suicidal brother, their zombie-like son, and a foul-mouthed grandfather who still enjoys tripping on the hippy drugs. As they climb into their combi-van to travel to the contest, their dysfunctional ways bring out peculiar life perspectives.

A key to a good script is the simplicity with which its messages come across, allowing it to be appreciated on several levels. 'Little Miss Sunshine' has that, providing a satirical drama that targets the general conformity of life. The nature of being a 'winner' and trying to not lose face with others is explored. Each character is desperate to prove themselves after various self inflicted dramas. Their low self esteem is evident, with the road journey finally allowing them to build confidence to effectively relate to each other.

This is an excellent cast who bring genuine humanity to their roles: Greg Kinnear is well suited as the desperate father wanting to be a success for his family, refusing to give up in the face of the various obstacles placed in his way.

Steve Carrell as Sheryl's brother is wonderful, turning his role from being the weirdest family member to being the most wise.

Toni Collette and Alan Arkin both shine with their performances, although they seem somewhat underused compared to the rest of the cast. The characters all develop and grow in a believable fashion, with each curve of the road bringing them closer to personal enlightenment.

The light whimsy of the first half makes way for a dark satire on the dubious phenomenon of pre teen beauty pageants, when the family reach their destination. The audience joins in the family's horror as each of the girls are made to wear the skimpiest of outfits, making them look like living Barbie dolls.

The screenplay focuses on the ugliness of the whole enterprise, even though everyone looks so glamorous. It is when witnessing this grotesque spectacle of alleged 'normal behaviour', does the family become the free-spirits they have always wanted to be.

The pathos and humour are evenly matched throughout, without becoming maudlin. Revelling in their own individuality is something people seem to do less of these days, with the quality of the acting and screenplay contributing to a very enjoyable ride along life's highway.

Patrick Moore