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The Hoover family is your average dysfunctional American family. Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear) is a not-exactly-motivational speaker who’s banking on a big book deal that he’s confident will be his big break. His teenage son, Dwayne (Paul Dano), is determined to be a jet pilot—but until then, he’s taken a vow of silence. And his daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin), dreams of one day winning the Miss America pageant. She’s well on her way, too, after being named the runner-up in the local Little Miss Sunshine pageant on a recent trip to visit her cousins.
Also living with Richard and his wife, Sheryl (Toni Collette), is Richard’s dad (Alan Arkin), who was recently kicked out of his retirement home for snorting heroin. And the newest addition to the family is Sheryl’s brother, Frank (Steve Carell), who needs constant supervision following his recent suicide attempt.
One evening, Olive gets the call that the first Little Miss Sunshine is unable to fulfill her duties—which means that Olive can compete in the next Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach. The pageant is that weekend, though, and as Olive excitedly packs her bags, the rest of the family tries to decide what to do. Their only option is to pack the whole family into their aging VW bus and drive the 800 miles from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach together. Along the way, they run into all kinds of mishaps—often reminiscent of National Lampoon’s Vacation—but they’re determined to get Olive to her pageant, no matter what kinds of horrors she’ll have to face once she gets there.
Little Miss Sunshine is a different kind of comedy. It’s not the usual mainstream, over-the-top, outrageous comedy. It’s subtler. And, despite the fact that it involves a heroin-snorting grandpa and a suicidal uncle, it still feels real—more so than the typical comedy. Yet, at the same time, it’s still really funny—so funny that some of the scenes will have you chuckling to yourself for days.
Steve Carell is at his best in his understated role as the suicidally depressed uncle. Don’t get me wrong—he’s great as a goofy, physical comedian (I loved him in Bruce Almighty), but it takes a toned-down role like this one to show how talented and funny he really is. The two kids, too, give great performances—especially Dano, who pulls off the majority of his role without saying a word.
Little Miss Sunshine is every bit as funny as it is charming—and it’s even surprisingly sweet. If nothing else, it’ll make your own dysfunctional family seem a little more normal. I highly recommend it.
