"If you don't make mistakes, you don't make anything." A couple of weeks ago yours truly might have made a mistake when I said that The Hangover was my last truly "funny" film. If there were only two kinds of movies (comedies and dramas) in the world, then my #9 would certainly qualify in the former category.
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone calls my #9 movie "National Lampoon's Family Vacation with soul," and I couldn't have said it better myself.
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Starring: Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear
Academy Awards (2): Won Best Supporting Actor (A. Arkin) and Best Writing. Nominated two more times (including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress/A. Breslin).
Plot: "A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus."
Stock: Down
It's hard to argue the value of family. It might be the most important thing. But then again, it's not really a "thing" as much as it's an "idea" or a "feeling." Family is unequivocally an ambiguous term. Fitting indeed for Little Miss Sunshine which features a bizarre family, but a family nonetheless.
Never has a movie had a more memorable ensemble. Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin and Paul Dano all create outstanding characters which as you would expect, produce outstanding moments.
THE PLOT
Unlike Contact, Little Miss Sunshine doesn't have a plot worth diving into details. The main focus is trying to get Olive (the youngest sibling) to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. The contest is approximately 1,000 miles away so the entire family makes the trip in a small VW bus.
The main focus of this film isn't how the plot develops but how the characters react along the way.
THE CHARACTERS
Greg Kinnear as Richard Hoover - Richard is a struggling and failing motivational speaker. He is all about winners and losers even though he would probably fall in the latter category. There is no doubt that he loves his family despite his ability to say cringe-inducing things.
Toni Collette as Sheryl Hoover - Sheryl is the lovable mother who does her best to keep the family together. She takes in her brother when he is at his lowest moment and despite all the chaos that surrounds the Hoover family, she does her best to make sure they stay just that ... a family.
Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover - Olive is the youngest in the Hoover family. She receives an invitation to enter the Little Miss Sunshine contest which she is extremely excited for ... until she gets there. Upon arrival Olive begins to question how pretty she is but her performance at the end of the show reaffirms how special she really is. Olive is the heart of this movie.
Alan Arkin as Grandpa Hoover - Grandpa was kicked out of the retirement home for doing drugs, which he continues to do, only now in the bathroom of the Hoover residence. He is Olive's coach for the beauty pageant and everyone else's life coach. He has some outstanding one-liners and if Olive is the heart, then Grandpa is the soul of the film.
Steve Carell as Frank Ginsberg - Frank recently tried to commit suicide when Little Miss Sunshine picks up. He was upset when his partner (Frank is gay) broke up with him and went out with the #2 Proust Scholar ... oh by the way, Frank is the #1 Proust Scholar. Sheryl picks him up from the hospital and brings him to stay with the rest of the Hoovers.
Paul Dano as Dwayne Hoover - Dwayne is Olive's older brother who has taken up the vow of silence. He refuses to speak until he makes it to the Air Force. Dwayne doesn't really get along with his father (Richard) or anyone else for that matter. As the movie progresses you can tell just how much Dwayne cares for his family, even if he has a strange way of showing it.
MY REACTION
It's hard for me to explain just exactly why I love Little Miss Sunshine. The acting is incredible, the plot never hits a dull moment, and the movie will have you laughing from start to finish. But there's something more to LMS ... something you can't really explain until you watch it.
Little Miss Sunshine goes to great depths to showcase how strong a bond a family can create. Sure you might despise your parents from time-to-time and who hasn't needed some time away from a sibling. At the end of the day though, your family - if you're lucky - will always be there for you, no matter what.
There are a plethora of memorable moments in this movie. You can start with the dinner scene at the beginning of the film which sets the table (pun intended) for every character as well as the plot. The comedic happenings at the hospital are unforgettable and the talent portion of the beauty pageant will leave you shocked and in pain from laughter.
WHY TOP TEN?
People change all the time ... some more so than others. Some change by themselves and some change when circumstances force them to. Little Miss Sunshine is able to produce elements of both to show how the Hoover family - as individuals - manage to change and develop as the movie progresses. It's incredibly difficult to accomplish, but the writers who won the Oscar for best writing did a great job pulling it off.
There's no denying the greatness of Alan Arkin in this film. Even with this unbelievable cast he somehow manages to steal every scene he's in. He's outspoken, honest and a supporting grand-father. The scene with him and Olive in the hotel room is why he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
If any of my top ten was going to change on my second version of this list, Little Miss Sunshine would be the odd man out. Don't get me wrong, I love this movie but I find myself laughing just a little bit less each time I watch it.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
"There's two kinds of people in this world, there's winners and there's losers. Okay, you know what the difference is? Winners don't give up." - Richard Hoover.
"Oh my God, I'm getting pulled over. Everyone, just... pretend to be normal." - Richard Hoover.
"You know what? Fuck beauty contests. Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... Fuck that. And fuck the Air Force Academy. If I want to fly, I'll find a way to fly. You do what you love, and fuck the rest." - Dwayne Hoover.
"Losers are people who are so afraid of not winning, they don't even try." - Grandpa Hoover.
"Listen to me, I got no reason to lie to you, don't make the same mistakes I made when I was young. Fuck a lotta women kid, not just one woman, a lotta women." - Grandpa Hoover.
"Jesus, I'm tired. I'm so fucking tired. You know how tired I am? If a girl came up to me and begged me to fuck her, I couldn't do it. That's how tired I am." - Grandpa Hoover.
"Have I mentioned that I am the preeminent Proust scholar in the US?" - Frank Ginsberg.
Make sure to check back next week as I unveil my #8 selection. As always, go take a look at the recent picks Matt Barnes is posting on his blog.
Hint for #8: Tag-line for this 2003 film is, "all you need is love."
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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