Friday, September 01, 2006

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

I've found that many people have the mistaken idea that independent movies are just dramatic stories produced by colorful filmmakers with funny accents. While this is not completely out of context, believing this idea prevents you from enjoying easy-going and entertaining films that don't involve worn-out clichés or special effects. This week's review is about one of the most hilarious and witty flicks I have seen in the last year: Little Miss Sunshine.

Olive is a seven year-old girl whose goal is to be in a beauty contest. She practices in hopes of her moment of glory: the enthusiasm on her face, the tears of ecstasy when she unthinkingly hugs the first-runner-up. She is focused on her goal and one day, by destiny's causalities, she has her opportunity: she has been chosen to participate in the next Little Miss Sunshine contest. The only obstacle to achieve her dream is distance. The contest is in California and the only solution for her dysfunctional family to get her there is to begin the utmost let's-go-as-if-we-were-a-normal-family-and-have-fun road trip on a yellow old VW van.

Part of this movie's success is the natural and convincing connectivity among its interesting variety of personalities in this non-traditional American family. The father is an optimist and an unsuccessful motivational speaker who interprets his teenage son's vow of silence as a personal goal instead of a rebellious act. The mother is the stressed-out family mediator, who manages her immediate family as well as the heroin addicted grandpa in the family and his brother. This brother happens to be the second best Proust scholar in the U.S., and he is recovering from an attempted suicide (his own) after his lover, the best Proust scholar in the U.S., left him for a graduate student.

All are together in the trip to support Olive's dream. While the expedition does not culminate exactly as the perfect motivational story, it is definitely a great movie with an excellent script. This movie is busting out of independent theaters and it is now being shown on many commercial screens. If you have never followed my film recommendations because the movie might have seemed too heavy or dramatic to enjoy, see this film. It's the perfect opposite! A must see from the independent film industry.

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