Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are best known for their music videos. Having made outstanding promos for the likes of Beck, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers, it was time for this husband and wife duo to branch into feature films, and they far from disappoint.

Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a dysfunctional family who embark on a road trip, but don't let that put you off - this is no National Lampoon flick. When their ten year old daughter wins a place in the 'Little Miss Sunshine' beauty pageant they all pile into a bright yellow VW bus and drive halfway across America so their daughter can take part. Being far from normal, the family suffers obstacle after obstacle on their way in what is a very funny film touched with one or two sombre moments.

Despite the formulaic sounding plot, Little Miss Sunshine is brimming with originality, it is a bright and breezy film with the cinematography reflecting the 'sunshine' in the films title. Greg Kinnear is excellent as Richard, the manic go-getting author of a self-help book, and Steve Carell (best known as the star of the American version of The Office) turns in a wonderfully understated performance as the suicidal Uncle Frank, who goes on to bond with the angst-ridden teenager Dwayne, who just so happens to have taken a vow of silence. Alan Arkin is great as the foul-mouthed grandpa, and Toni Collette (Richard's wife, Sheryl) does a great job in the 'everyman' role, the only adult who retains a shred of 'normality'.

Special praise however has to be reserved for Abigail Breslin, who plays Olive, the youngest in the family. She turns in a performance more solid than many twice her age, and is one of the most assured child actors the screen has seen for quite some time.

Little Miss Sunshine is essentially a comedy, but manages to be emotive and make a cultural statement about child beauty pageants into the bargain. With a soundtrack featuring songs by the excellent Sufjan Stevens, Little Miss Sunshine is definately one of the funniest, original films of the year. Four out of five.