Review of Little Miss Sunshine

Big Great Sunshine




Beauty pageants are soon became part of entertainment world, advertising stage and launch pad of filmy careers for participants rather than talent shows to reach out to those who cannot or do not have right path to express their endowments to the deserved heights. Days of Sushmita winning the universe by her wit topped creamy bullet shot one liners to bizarre questions by judges or Aishwarya spinning world with her smile are of yore now. Globalisation and Modernisation have made the competitors of these shows to be tailored right from zero ends. Laminates for sparkling smile, nor Colgate nor Pepsodent gift but skill if cosmetic dental surgeon, or polished diction and upgraded vocabulary by expert to correct way of walking and posing to inches of mouth opening while speaking all is trained and look after for them. But, this week we witness to a beauty pageant of a kind hitting to theatres in city. Little Miss Sunshine was the name and laughing as was its fame. A six year old Olive (Abigail) dreams day and night of becoming a beauty queen and gets enrolled in a talent contest Little Miss Sunshine in Redondo California. But, the problem is she resides in Aberkirky some 1000 miles apart. The family decides a bus trip to take her to destination which turns a tour of springing emotions, flashing egos, lost deals and people, identity loses, aim shifts and much more. The family is made of each eccentric members, a father who is loser in life, a mother who is divorced once and yet is unhappy with her marriage, a cocaine snorting swearing grandfather, a gay uncle who has suicide attempting tendencies on losing his love to a competitor and a worshipping step brother who besides detesting everyone in family hasn’t spoke a word to anyone since 9 months.
The each of above characters is packed in bus to ride down as aircrafts and luxury is unaffordable to single person earning family. The journey takes them to emotional turmoil and a hilarious 110 mins. to us. The bus breaks down and there is no repair to it besides pushing the vehicle till it starts, the father loses his book deal leaving him with no income much to enragement of mother. The uncle, an eminent scholar meets his love interest with the competitor on their way and grandfather loses his life in sleep. The tour doesn’t end here, determined to reach the goal, they carry the corpse in trunk against the law. The brother is flabbergasted and disgusted on learning his colour blindness wouldn’t let him fly jets, his dream for which he kept silence pact. Finally breaking down, he opens mouth with swearing the family. The determined goal is reached after whole journey of life and then is another tummy wrecking laughter of contest. A simple small budget movie which leaves you in urges to pee after unlimited bouts of laughter has strong message to be read. The determination of girl and family despite hindrances to stand in front of judging agony aunts and sharing stage with artificially tanned and trained girls is worth mentioning.
The chairs of cinema could have been wrecked due to jumps of joyous laughter and satirical humour. The screenplay was worth its Oscar and direction though a usual one was a remarkable. The story and performances were starts of this cine wonder. Abigail by her magnificent portrayal of Olive earned an Oscar nomination and Alan Arkin took home the trophy for snorting cocaine and swearing on everything that moves. Toni Collete again did a job with excellent flair and Steve Carrel made us prove his sexuality. Greg Kinnear wasn’t as loser as the father in his performance. Naturally, a movie that is must watch for all and grab the running message of determination and courage.
And rightly said, Smaller in sizes proportionate to Better and Bigger results.
Rating ****1/2
Rating Chart:
*- Whatever
**- Please just let it be
***- Hmmmmm
****- Wow, That’s simply fantastic
*****- Is this for real or what!!!!