DVD - Little Miss Sunshine

[Sheridan Passell]

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Cast: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette and Steve Carell

I must say, I had braced myself for something horrible. Visions of simpering semi-anorexic pre-teenage girls flashed past my mind's eye while I waited for 'Little Miss Sunshine' to start. I should have known better. I should've realised that the cloying title had already taken up ninety per cent of the film's cutesiness quota.

Self-help, drug abuse, philosophy, attempted suicide...this was not the feel-good, family values movie I had expected. This was a dysfunctional bitter comedy which took a long, hard look at 'normal' society and spat in its face, before trundling off in a bright yellow VW Camper.

The story follows the efforts of seven year old Olive, and her determination to win the, er, prestigious Little Miss Sunshine award. To get there, her supportive and sometimes over-zealous parents have to drive half way across the country in a camper van, with, due to circumstances beyond their control, the whole malfunctioning family in tow.

Now, if the sight of a post-suicidal, scholarly uncle, a crack-snorting grandpa and a Nietzsche obsessed teenage boy squashed in the back of a van sounds far fetched to you, then 'Little Miss S's' dry humour may be a little askance for your taste. You also obviously haven't met my family. Though occasionally fanciful, the characters - built on some superb acting - are really what make this film. Worth particular mention is Abigail Breslin ('Signs') who had the tricky job of making a beauty pageant fixated little girl into a charming central protagonist. She manages this wonderfully, with a winning seriousness and a furiously innocent determination to achieve what she has set out to do.

The pace lags a little at times, and throughout, the film has the unshakeable tone of a high-profile TV series, along the lines of 'Six Feet Under' or 'Desperate Housewives', right down to the pacy, Tarantino-like soundtrack. So people - if you're waiting for the next DVD of your favourite show involving infidelity and corpses to arrive from Amazon, and are suffering the usual pangs of A.D.W.S (American Drama Withdrawal Syndrome) then this film is where you can stop those junkie urges and get a good, clean hit.

Not that the humour in 'Little Miss Sunshine' is always clean. There's some brilliant comedy involving a stolen (but legal) corpse and some eye-watering porn magazines, although these are nothing compared to the comical climax of the film, which had me in some rather taken-aback stitches.

Visually it's excellent, with some eye-catching, iconic features, like a huge sketch of Nietzsche scrawled on a bed sheet and of course, that adorable yellow camper van.

It's also the kind of film which could only have been made in today's social climate. For instance, if you feel the urge to sound smug and well-informed in front of friends and relatives, point out, in a bored voice, the veiled reference to youtube.com in scene eleven.

Far from being saccharine mind-fodder, 'Little Miss Sunshine' offers plenty of food for thought, and actually improves on a second viewing. (Unlike real food, which benefits very little from regurgitation.) Although a little messy in places, it is colourful, and while the ending could be called vague, at least it isn't vomit-inducing.

For hiding an unexpectedly bitter comic treat beneath the sweet title, and for the delicious thought-provoking aftertaste, I give 'Little Miss Sunshine' a palatable 7/10.

Laura De Noves

[Tiger]

Little Miss Sunshine is a fantastic film. 

The one thing that makes the film so great for me is the fact that the characters are so well written. 

Each of the main characters could have an entire film based around them, and each film would be very interesting, they are that damn good.

Beside the fact that I consider this film to be a must-see for everyone, and I mean everyone, whether you are into feel-good films or not, this film features a lot of good performances.

Abigail Breslin?  Yup, she was good.  Worthy of that Oscar nomination?  No, but she does put in a very good performance.  On that front, Keisha Castle-Hughes was more worthy of her Oscar nomination for her role in Whale Rider (which, by the way, is another feel-good film with a difference, it is a genuinely beautiful film and gets another must-see recommendation from me)

Steve Carell?  For the sake of his career, he desperately needs a good agent who will find him more gems like this and less run-of-the-mill comedies (he won't find another comedy as hit-worthy as 40 Year Old Virgin too often) because he has something to offer on the acting front and he needs to get the best out of himself.

Greg Kinnear?  This guy is pretty solid in everything I have seen him in, he has obvious acting habits which he uses in every role and some may find it a bit samey but I like him and he was a good choice for this role.

Toni Collette?  After some dubious choices in her career, I am glad to say that her perofmance in this film has renewed my interest in her as an actress.  As a side note - Has anyone ever heard her singing?  I saw her perform live on stage (on my TV, not in person) during the Live8 concert and she was fantastic!

Alan Arkin?  I do not need to say much about Arkin, anyone who knows who he is will also know that he is a fine actor.  I got my first taste of his acting in Coupe De Ville (a great film, also very uplifting, check it out!) and he was fantastic, he never fails to please, and his turn in this film is no exception.