|
Directed by: Jonathon Dayton & Valerie Faris Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, Alan Arkin Little Miss Sunshine is not a movie that everyone will see. Some people will see Steve Carrell and want to go see it. Some people will want to go for Greg Kinnear and/or Toni Collette. Alan Arkin is also a major draw. But that's not why you should see this movie. The people who go for Steve Carrell will probably be disappointed. It's not his funniest role. In fact he plays a character quite seriously and it's really only funny when that character is put in incongruous situations (not necessarily funny situations.) This movie is one of those movies where the characters seem out of place and time as compared to the rest of the world around them. At times it can be brutally funny, at times very very sad. With that said this is one of the best movies of the year so far and I highly recommend it. It seemed like it was trying a tad bit too hard in some places and that the previews and commercials give too much of the funny stuff away so I wasn't laughing when most of the audience (who it seemed had not seen the previews and commercials a million times) did. The little girl is precious, her older brother is a tad  and Alan Arkin steals the first half of the movie. Altogether a solid 4.5 out of 5.Edit: I should probably give you a little detail on the plot. Here's the clip from IMDB which pretty much sums it up: A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Funny, Moving, Eclectic, Steve Carrell CONS: Watching the previews gives too much away. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/ rendicil fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Aug 22, 2006 |
#
?
Aug 22, 2006 15:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:37 |
|
|
I drove half an hour or so to see it before it got a wide relase, and was not disappointed in the least. Very touching, well done comedy. My favorite of the year thus far. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2006 03:26
|
|
|
I cannot wait to see this. Alan Arkin is like a God to me.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2006 21:07
|
|
|
I saw this today and it was excellent. Carrell is fantastic in this, and I liked the teenage son ( ) a lot. The eye test hit me out of nowhere, and I felt simultaneously super sad and like I should have seen it coming. 5 superfreaks out of 5
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2006 21:26
|
|
|
I liked this movie a lot more before the horrible commercials they started to play every 15 seconds. It's funny, sweet, nice. There is some really great acting here; that girl is going places. I liked it but I didn't think it was "THE BEST COMEDY THIS YEAR". 3.5/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2006 09:04
|
|
|
Saw it while it was in limited release a few weeks ago, haven't laughed at a movie like that in months. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2006 04:45
|
|
|
I wanted to see this when it was still in limited release, but the couple nights I planned to had a lot of family drama keeping me busy. I saw it today and I have to say, as far as family comedies go, its one of the best I've ever seen. Steve Carrell is good in his part, although the balance of the characters in the script dosen't give him a chance to shine like I went in hoping. It is good to see he can do drama seriously, and I'd like to see him pull more roles that aren't just being silly. The parents are believable, especially the mother, and the other members are good in their own ways. Every time a problem came up I was ready for the movie to turn sappy, crappy, corny, or one of the other common pitfalls of the genre; but it really walks the fine line between taking the issue seriously and having a comic edge. At a few points the problems seem manufactured but within 30 seconds of the onset the ship rights itself and carries on. The movie most certainly has flaws, but they almost seem to identify and augment the strengths instead of bring down the movie as a whole. My favorite thing was the range of emotions the movie provoked. I love the Royal Tennenbaums, but it's very one dimensional and observational. This movie makes you feel the lows and the highs along with the characters. It's nice to have some genuine deep laughs and not just surface cheap ones. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 26, 2006 00:21
|
|
|
I didn't think it was all that good, or funny  I appreciate subtle humor, as opposed to laugh-out-loud-punchline jokes (which this movie avoided), but it just didn't do it for me. The entire thing felt vague and unfocused. It reminded me a lot of Napoleon Dynamite in that it avoided a tight plot in favor of a rambling, anything-goes type of story, effectively looking as though the camera had just been left on to film this family vacation. The humor is largely drawn from the absurdities of what unfolds in front of us. Steve Carrell was very good, I thought, although there just simply wasn't enough done with his character, or any of the characters. A simple one-off line about suffering and Proust at the end didn't solidify anything that the movie was trying to say, nor did any deeper meaning to what I had seen sink in afterwords. Overall, there was nothing terrible about this movie, it just felt empty and left me cold. I didn't feel the characters didn't have enough depth, outside of a few quirks, to give me a reason to watch the film or care about what happened to them. By far the best moments in the film came from the interactions between Olive and Grandpa, but of course these were cut short and so was the only believable human element. I was disappointed because with all the great reviews and positive buzz, I didn't find this movie all that interesting or worthwhile. edit: To give a disclaimer, I saw this movie in a theater full of people. As you know, people in movie theaters are idiots and none of them laughed at anything in this movie except the really obvious gags involving porno or gays, which was a bit of a buzzkill - so I'll definitely be renting this to watch at home, at least. 2/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 26, 2006 19:59
|
|
|
I enjoyed this movie alot. I walked in knowing nothing about it, and walked out being glad I had seen it. My favorite part was most likely the horn going on and off while the officer was checking out the trunk of the vw bus. At first I thought carrell was actually going to try and play a mute/psycho suicidal guy... and didnt think there was anyway he would pull it off. Glad I was wrong. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 26, 2006 23:27
|
|
|
I would have to say I really liked this movie, but if you're a diehard Steve Carrell fan you might be dissapointed. Every famous comedian has at least one dramatic movie that flops (Think Jim Carrey in The Majestic) but Steve Carrell plays his role really well. The only thing that irritated me about it was there were a lot of side plots that weren't really resolved. And the fact that Carrell's character isn't fleshed out. So he's gay? He doesn't strike me as gay at all in the movie except for the visual clues like the "Buns and Ammo" haha. And what's the whole story with "the deal" that goes bad? . This is definitely not an upbeat movie, and it kinda drags in the begenning but if you stick with it it's really good. 3.9/5
|
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2006 23:57
|
|
|
I really wanted to like this movie, just like I wanted to like Life Aquatic, and Lost in Translation. But I just couldn't do it. If I had to sum up this movie, it would be "The Royal Tanembalms" mixed with "National Lampoon's Family Vaction" will all of the funny sucked right out of the film. In addition to not being very funny, the movie drags alot, too. I didn't find myself very interested in the characters or their problems. All in all, I am not sure that I could even recomend this movie as a rental. 1.5/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2006 03:52
|
|
|
I loved this film, probably the best one I've seen this year so far. I do hope it scores an Oscar nomination for the writing, which is EXCELLENT. Well done by a couple of directors who appeared to have only done music videos (?) before this movie according to IMDB. I laughed a lot, there are definitely some classic moments. 5.0/5.5
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2006 21:45
|
|
|
This is definitely my favorite movie this year, so far at least. The casting is perfect. The characters actually feel like people and by the end I really liked them. Its funny but at the same time the movie manages to be very emotional. Best movie i've seen in a long time. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2006 05:29
|
|
|
Yeah, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris did mostly music videos, like the Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight, Tonight and 1979, and some for the Chili Peppers. Great videos, very quirky, very clever. It was weird to see them do such a straight-forward movie like this. I totally forgot it was them until I saw their names in the credits at the beginning. I thought the movie was fantastic though. It's not a straight-forward comedy like the trailer makes it out to be. It had a lot more heart than that, and I thought Steve Carell was fantastic in this role. He does really well at showing that he can really act, and isn't always a goof. The only thing is I wanted more of his character. I thought he was the best part of the film. I loved his character and the way he portrayed him. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Sep 1, 2006 09:19
|
|
|
Great movie. The whole cast worked very well together and I teared up a couple of times. Best "Dark Comedy" of the year so far. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2006 06:35
|
|
|
I went into Little Miss Sunshine hoping it wouldn't be just another indie. It wasn't, but it tried to be. I know directors want to be Wes Anderson, and too many movies like Broken Flowers and Me and You and Everyone We Know accomplish little more than reminding the viewer of that. Although this film did that, it wasn't without redeeming qualities. Or should I say redeeming quality. I laughed. There were scenes that were good comedy. The problems with the van, the beauty pagent, and being pulled over; these scenes were well made and funny. So along with the pretentious* nature of this film and its acceptable acting was something actually worth seeing, or better yet, worth laughing at. 3/5 * I apologize, but this word must be used in every "Indie" review. That's just the way it goes.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2006 01:01
|
|
|
This movie was boring and at times painful to watch. It is certainly not "dark comedy". "Dark comedy" is what Todd Solondz or Neil LaBute, not this cutesy poo poo. The dialogue was overwrought and unfunny, and the plot was pretty much dead air punctuated by a sequence of unlikely events. A local reviewer referred to this movie, and the similarly marketed Squid and the Whale as "maudlin flatulence". In fact, Greg Kinnear was pretty much the only good thing in the movie, although he had very little to work with. 1.5/5. p.s. the little girl looked retarded, as in literally retarded. Not cute. Retarded.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2006 21:08
|
|
|
I found the movie to be wonderful, perfectly casted and acted. It was funny at times but succeeded in remaining serious enough for the characters in it A suicidal homosexual, a drug addict, the father, the retarded girl, and the color-blind kid to not have their faults ignored. However, the ending was horrible. The In & Out me-too loving stupid ending sequence is the biggest, dumbest cliche I can think of, and it was present in this film. And this ending left a bad taste in my mouth. What's a good beer without a strong finish? This ending soured me on the film. Leaving me with only the comment of "unsatisfying". 2.5/5
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2006 23:37
|
|
|
Great movie. I don't know if I would call it a dark comedy either, but it was mis-billed as a comedy from the beginning. Even dramas have some humor thrown into the mix. I like how everyone had their flaws and dealt with it in their own way. I thought the best moment was when the kid found out he was color blind. You could just feel exactly how confused he was by his face. The story was very easy to follow and I really got into the characters quickly. Even though I thought the pacing of the first 5-10min was slow, it picked up really quick. Best movie I've seen this year. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Nov 24, 2006 04:50
|
|
|
I saw the movie yesterday and I have to admit that this is really one of the best movies I've seen in a while. I think my favorite character was Frank. Steve Carrell pulled him off really well and it was a pleasant surprise to see him act drama so well! I also loved the fact that he was seemingly the only one to sort of understand Dwayne. Dwayne's colourblindness test and breakdown were really well done and you could see and feel exactly what the boy was going through, I think. The stealing of the dead grandpa was a bit overdone, though. I don't remember why noone did, but I remember thinking that someone should have just staid there! It looked so ridiculous and really made me feel like I was watching a generic american comedy, where such ridiculous things are normal. For this movie this event did not fit. The beauty pageant REALLY reminded me of the GBS Beauty Pageant threads and I was glad to see the family understood that it's a hosed up business I loved it  I don't really have much more to say!5.5/5.5
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2006 13:22
|
|
|
I didn't laugh once. I smiled a few times. This movie just didn't do anything for me. I kept waiting for something to happen. 2/5 edit to add - I forgot about this when I wrote the review, but the horn made me literally pound my desk with my fist. Whos loving idea was it to put nonstop broken horn noise into this movie? Fuckwads. trinihax- fucked around with this message at 01:05 on Dec 5, 2006 |
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2006 03:03
|
|
|
This movie was sort of like the cute retarded kid. I managed maybe one chuckle, but the rest of the movie was a boring, predictable drag. Without the horn: 2/5 Annoying horn for 25+ minutes: 1/5
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2006 02:14
|
|
|
Great movie. Character development was the main focus of the film which seems to be a rarity in movies lately. The cast was well suited to the characters to the point where they felt tangible and you could easily feel what they were feeling. It was definitely not a comedy, it had funny moments but it was a drama in every sense of the word. It's satisfying to see a movie that creates characters you can genuinely care about as well as themes divulged in a eloquent way that isn't too over the top. Also Steve Carrel is great in this which was sort of unexpected, and I thought Paul Dano (The Nietzsche obsessed kid) was very good in his role as well. A must see if you love movies that make you feel every dip in the plot. 4.5/5 Squiddy fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Dec 26, 2006 |
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2006 05:18
|
|
|
A great movie. It's always interesting when you ask yourself, "Is this a character-driven movie or a plot-driven movie?" Then you realize that what you're watching has struck the perfect balance. One doesn't overshadow the other. The mixture of pathos and comedy along with the very real situations make this well worth seeing. Every single actor seems perfectly cast and they do their job in a manner that makes you appreciate them in their craft. Please see this movie. I guarantee you will come away glad that you did. 4.5/5
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2006 17:01
|
|
|
This is definitely my favorite movie of all time. I admit because Steve Carrell was in I was pushed to see it more but once I saw it in its entirety I thought it was sensational! The scene with the son finding out that he is colorblind was AMAZING! The acting was amazing and the entire thing was well done. Don't be like me and expect Steve Carrell will make it the best movie ever. He did an amazing job playing a different role in this movie and its worth seeing whether you like him or not. Also it isn't necessarily a comedy. Its more of a combination of drama and comedy with drama pulling the lead. Its a feelgood movie 5/5
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2006 22:12
|
|
|
I went inside the theatre with a positive attitude, but this movie was less good than I expected: the first half of the movie was good, but when the grand-dad died it all went downhill,IMO. It turned from a somewhat entertaining dark comedy into a generic comedy that seemed to aim for cheap laughs e.g. the dancing scene at the end of the movie, stealing the grand-dad's body, that horn. Not bad, but also not good: 2.5/5
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2006 20:45
|
|
|
It was close to the exact opposite of what I expected (like many, I expected a Steve Carrell-based movie with standard Steve Carrell character) but I really enjoyed the movie. For the first 10-15 minutes I was a little skeptical but by the end of the movie I was wishing there was more. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2006 23:11
|
|
|
I loved it. The characters were all great, and Steve Steve Carell played a very awesome depressed guy. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2007 06:04
|
|
|
A film based around a family of bland, stereotypical characters. The plot was laughably predictable, the ending felt forced, and the acting was mediocre. Steve Carrell was the sole redeeming factor of this movie. 2/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2007 06:34
|
|
|
I saw this in a $2 theater on "Dollar Wednesday" so I'm by no means complaining, but the movie was... very strange. It seemed like it wasn't quite sure what it wanted to be, starting out like a Royal Tenebaums sort of affair, about the laughably dysfunctional family, and then it decided that it wanted to be a deconstruction of that genre. And then it got kind of cliched and ended with a vaguely endearing, but really uninteresting sequence. Still, it was entertaining, and not an hour and a half ill-spent. Still, I'd really doubt that I'll ever willingly watch it again. 3/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2007 06:30
|
|
|
I thought it was a great movie. I heard it was good, but didn't see it in theaters. I rented it on DVD, and I loved it. One of the most important things to me was the little girl. She wasn't a skinny blonde little princess like Dakota Fanning. She was a real little girl that dressed how she wanted to dress, and tried to have confidence in herself despite everything that was going on around her. Her character was well written, and I thought that she's a model of what every little girl needed to be today. Why is she retarded? Because she has her own way of doing things? Because she dresses the way SHE thinks is cool, and not like the little whore clothes girls wear today? Because she's just a little bit chubby? No. The retarded little girls today are the ones that wear thongs, glob on makeup, spend all their money on clothes, and make fun of other girls who beleive in themselves. Relating to this, one of the more significant scenes in the movie is when the Dad tries to tell her not to eat ice cream, because she'll get fat, and winners aren't fat. Parents like this, that don't let little girls be little girls shouldn't call themselves parents. I liked how the whole family, even the silent brother teased her and cheered her up. Even Miss California admitting she ate ice cream was a cute touch. The other thing was, I figured the movie would either end two ways: She won the contest or she lost. Throughout the movie, I was dreading the ending, because I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with either of those. Despite this, the ending was nice and it wasn't "She won because the judges saw their ways" or "She lost because it's sad and life is sad." Steve Carrells character was great. There is no real way to play a gay man, because real homosexuals are regular guys with just different tastes. They don't have to act any differently. If he acted like a flaming homosexual, or made lots of innuendo, THAT would have been pretty bad. The brother finding out he was color blind was probably one of the heaviest parts of the movie. It really came out of left field. The acting was VERY nicely done, and it was a well written scene. It was realistic, and heartwrenching. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2007 01:39
|
|
|
I caught this today. Honestly, if you don't go to this movie for the comedy, just go for the acting. It thought it was believable and superb. I sympathized with all the characters, laughed with them, cried with them, and cheered with them. Not a tour de force, but a very warm feel-good feeling in my belly. Also, the little girl stole the show. She is cute as a button and I hope we see more of her. Very talented. Pros: Great dialogue, acting, decent plot, and fun characters Cons: I thought the dad-son talk in the car when Greg Kinnear is talking with Stan a little too early in the movie. If that had been moved to later on, this would've impacted me more (but of course, he died. 4.5/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2007 23:35
|
|
|
A great "feel good" movie with lots of laughs and some really heavy/heart wrenching scenes Steve Carrell is awesome, the characters really come to life as the movie progresses. I did not think much of the son early on, but that changed The ending was awesome, but in a way felt kind of weird. My initial reaction was "Brilliant!" but as it went on I kind of felt it was a bit odd Regardless, it was a great movie and totally unexpected (I actually saw this a few months ago by random luck and didn't even know Steve Carrell starred in it) 4/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2007 04:21
|
|
|
There were a few goofy parts holding it back, but overall I'm glad I rented it. I wasn't really a fan of the ending, either, but you can't win 'em all. I can't believe no one mentioned this part, but I've never laughed harder at a movie scene in my entire life - the doctor yelling for "LINDA!!!" after telling the family the grandpa had died. He was so soft-spoken and then turns around and just screams his head off. I was absolutely dying.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2007 16:33
|
|
|
I really enjoyed this movie, it's a fun road trip movie. Excellent cast. Steve Carrell plays his role very subtle. He uses just a few facial gestures and movements (like the way he runs) to characterize his role. The guy has an amazing range. He can do wacky slapstick Jim Carrey antics then go to the other spectrum and do Bill Murray type subdued characters. I felt it shares a few things in common with Garden State that will likely bug some people here, all just depends on your point of view. They use indie music throughout to set the mood like Braff did with Shins and the like throughout GS. Mostly excellent music by Devotchka, but I can see how that would turn people off like it did with GS. There are some fantastic shots that some people may feel linger on for too long. Like the shot of the kid in the foreground, while his family is far off in the background - to show how alone he is at that moment. The characters are still two-dimensional even when they add a twist (the depressed uncle is now a gay depressed uncle, the old vet is now a drug abusing old vet, etc.). It's not really enough to put you off of the film but it's something to note. It's one of the better movies I've seen this year and I'd recommend it. It's not so good that it should win any Oscars since it's pretty standard indie fare. It never goes beyond the conventions it tries to break, it just slightly bends them to get by. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2007 06:35
|
|
|
Kneecaps posted:I can't believe no one mentioned this part, but I've never laughed harder at a movie scene in my entire life - the doctor yelling for "LINDA!!!" after telling the family the grandpa had died. He was so soft-spoken and then turns around and just screams his head off. I was absolutely dying. The parts exposing the false empathy of the hospital staff, and the beauty pageant (pointing out the utter hypocrisy in that 7 year olds strutting around with caked makeup on was "good", while a more innocent and plain girl dancing suggestively is "bad") were spot on and hilarious. The guy jumping up and yelling at the end of the routine put it over the top. But I'd say the funniest part was Frank (Carell) talking to Richard (Kinnear) using sarcasm and pretty much forcing Richard to be sarcastic (the "refuge of losers") in return.  4/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2007 21:16
|
|
|
I thought the characters were well thought out. The dad and his ideology was absolutely hilarious. The movie wasn't as predictable as you'd imagine. Although a little is expected. It's definitely a more artsy film with the colors, cinematography, indie music, and "message". 4.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2007 11:41
|
|
|
Ranks up there with my favorite dark comedies. I agree that the story was a little unfocused, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. 4.5
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2007 06:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:37 |
|
|
This "quirky family realizing they love each other" movie is a heavy-handed dramatic comedic borrowing heavily from Vacation except in the lieu of Wes Anderson. This indie pastiche factor could easily be forgettable, but unfortunately the film also relies on one-dimensional characters and extremely predictable writing, with only a few genuinely funny scenes. I enjoyed the payoff at the end, but on the whole I thought it was a very poorly developed film. 1.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 11, 2007 05:15
|
|
