Miss Sunshine appears to have legs, and I think deservedly. I sometimes wonder if some of the critics on this post look carefully at comedies, as so many of you people are condescending about comedies, I have noticed. rottentomatoes gave it 92%. That's a hell of a lot of critics there.
This was not laugh-out-loud throughout, but my wife had tears in her eyes. I looked specifically for Toni Collette,because of Hustler's comment, and for some reason, could not keep my eyes off her, because I thought she hammed, emoted, and the worst crime of all, "indicated" with her face, and in the car, especially, she upstaged nearly everybody.
But I think you missed--or didn't feel it important enough TO comment-- the wonderful performance by the Emcee at the Pageant. His 'God Bless America' was insanely funny.Great cameo. Must watch out for him.
Is Greg Kinnear the new Cary Grant( minus the come-hither looks)?
I would give it 85, my wife, higher. It will probably get a screenplay nom. and, again, deservedly.
Little Miss Sunshine
The film is consistently effective in its message. it works in a convincing way and the cast is brilliant. My heart is with Toni Collette. Abigail Breslin is terrific.Penelope wrote:I know why the movie has become such a sleeper hit: it's reassuring, not consistently funny, or even genuinely likable, but it reassures the audience, in rather simplistic terms, that even if you are a "loser" in society, everything is gonna turn out ok... Abigail Breslin has deservedly been praised for her charming performance, but for my money, the film's ace performance was provided by Greg Kinnear-
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Mister Tee
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I think only the utter vacuousness of Hollywood summer movies can account for the outsize success of a movie like this. By the time late July rolls around, those of us past high school are so ravenous for anything that strays (however mildly) into "safe for grownups" territory that we flock to indie alternatives. (Is the Illusionist benefitting in the same way? I haven't seen that one)
One thing no one's mentioned is how completely visually undistinguished ths film is. I'm not even counting the "couldn't afford a cinematographer" dingy lighting. I'm talking about the utter inability of the directors to impose any visual style. People here moan about Alexander Payne's shortcomings in that area, and I'd certainly never go to a Payne film simply for the visuals. But his style is more than competent to support his stronger element, his script. Here, I was constantly wondering if either director had ever taken a class in composition; during the early Kentucky Fried dinner, I was wincing at one mismatched, uninspired angle after another. I can't fathom why critics have let this pass.
Of course, much of this could be ignored if the film's script were so inventive or just so much fun that the pleasure quotient outweighed the amateurism. But, as Sabin points out, the laughs are just not numerous enough. And, as a piece of story-telling, I think this is pretty woeful. I came up with a new rule after seeing Spielberg's The Terminal, that any movie tha wants to be taken seriously can afford only one over-the-top plot element. (In the case of that movie, I could accept that a man would reach the airport just as his country's government was being overthrown; I could also accept a man would have flown thousands of miles to get an autograph on a kitschy photograph. I could not accept them occurring together) This movie isn't, obviously, quite as seriously meant as Terminal, but it does touch upon bankruptcy and death, so it needs some passing acquaintance with reality. Which is to say, it can't throw in a brother's suicide attempt, a surprise beauty contest invitation, a father's death, a husband's collapsed business deal, and a son's discovering a career-ruining color blindness, all in the space of about 48 hours, and expect me to think of this as anything but a project from Screenwriting Made Simple.
And what about that beauty contest? I looked at Breslin (a find, as everyone says), and thought, okay, obviously not a beauty, with a bit of a pot belly...but maybe it'll be one of those movie moments where the glasses come off and the hair comes down and she's a knockout. Well...not so much. Then it must be her talent; she must slay the crowd with something. Um...not that, either. And the question becomes (sorry if it's cruel): how did this lovable little girl ever win a beauty contest anywhere?
I agree with Penelope, that the everybody-on-stage embracing their geekness is the movie's big selling point ("At least we're not like those squares raising little Jon-Benets"). I'm afraid, though, for me that idea was last fresh c. 1967, King of Hearts.
All of which sounds like I despised this and, in lesser moments, I do. But there are laughs along the way, and, as everyone says, the actors carry the day -- Arkin works hard, Colette's always good, Carell proves he's an actor with at least some range. It's just all in the service of so little.
One thing no one's mentioned is how completely visually undistinguished ths film is. I'm not even counting the "couldn't afford a cinematographer" dingy lighting. I'm talking about the utter inability of the directors to impose any visual style. People here moan about Alexander Payne's shortcomings in that area, and I'd certainly never go to a Payne film simply for the visuals. But his style is more than competent to support his stronger element, his script. Here, I was constantly wondering if either director had ever taken a class in composition; during the early Kentucky Fried dinner, I was wincing at one mismatched, uninspired angle after another. I can't fathom why critics have let this pass.
Of course, much of this could be ignored if the film's script were so inventive or just so much fun that the pleasure quotient outweighed the amateurism. But, as Sabin points out, the laughs are just not numerous enough. And, as a piece of story-telling, I think this is pretty woeful. I came up with a new rule after seeing Spielberg's The Terminal, that any movie tha wants to be taken seriously can afford only one over-the-top plot element. (In the case of that movie, I could accept that a man would reach the airport just as his country's government was being overthrown; I could also accept a man would have flown thousands of miles to get an autograph on a kitschy photograph. I could not accept them occurring together) This movie isn't, obviously, quite as seriously meant as Terminal, but it does touch upon bankruptcy and death, so it needs some passing acquaintance with reality. Which is to say, it can't throw in a brother's suicide attempt, a surprise beauty contest invitation, a father's death, a husband's collapsed business deal, and a son's discovering a career-ruining color blindness, all in the space of about 48 hours, and expect me to think of this as anything but a project from Screenwriting Made Simple.
And what about that beauty contest? I looked at Breslin (a find, as everyone says), and thought, okay, obviously not a beauty, with a bit of a pot belly...but maybe it'll be one of those movie moments where the glasses come off and the hair comes down and she's a knockout. Well...not so much. Then it must be her talent; she must slay the crowd with something. Um...not that, either. And the question becomes (sorry if it's cruel): how did this lovable little girl ever win a beauty contest anywhere?
I agree with Penelope, that the everybody-on-stage embracing their geekness is the movie's big selling point ("At least we're not like those squares raising little Jon-Benets"). I'm afraid, though, for me that idea was last fresh c. 1967, King of Hearts.
All of which sounds like I despised this and, in lesser moments, I do. But there are laughs along the way, and, as everyone says, the actors carry the day -- Arkin works hard, Colette's always good, Carell proves he's an actor with at least some range. It's just all in the service of so little.
I'm probably being far too generous in giving this movie ***, because I must echo Sabin and BJ's reactions. I know why the movie has become such a sleeper hit: it's reassuring, not consistently funny, or even genuinely likable, but it reassures the audience, in rather simplistic terms, that even if you are a "loser" in society, everything is gonna turn out ok. To do this, the script is completely manufactured from types--how convenient that Richard is an aspiring (and condescending) self-help guru, and that his brother-in-law has just attempted suicide, etc.... And let's not talk about (or perhaps we should) the final act, with its mixed message about child sexuality (and its appeal to adults).
Having said that, it does have some funny bits, and the two directors keep things moving along nicely--there's not much originality here cinematically, but it works. What really raises the film to its quality level is the cast--if ever there was a textbook example of a perfect cast, this is it. Abigail Breslin has deservedly been praised for her charming performance, but for my money, the film's ace performance was provided by Greg Kinnear--he not only provided some of the biggest laughs in the film, he also managed to subtly and effectively convey the darker emotions that haunt his character--and few actors can play "slimeball who still has a heart" so well as Kinnear, and here he really triumphs.
Having said that, it does have some funny bits, and the two directors keep things moving along nicely--there's not much originality here cinematically, but it works. What really raises the film to its quality level is the cast--if ever there was a textbook example of a perfect cast, this is it. Abigail Breslin has deservedly been praised for her charming performance, but for my money, the film's ace performance was provided by Greg Kinnear--he not only provided some of the biggest laughs in the film, he also managed to subtly and effectively convey the darker emotions that haunt his character--and few actors can play "slimeball who still has a heart" so well as Kinnear, and here he really triumphs.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
Yeah. Certainly not bad, but ultimately a sitcom movie without sitcom laughs, which is to say it's a series of random encounters that don't seem to build without being bothered to include laughs. The characters show up as stamp-sealed comedic creations and aren't deepened as the film goes on. The film's beauty pageant finale is the only time I felt that the film was striving for anything, and I too felt it went over-the-top. Or more accurately, manufactured. There's a degree of endearment to these characters but I can't get past the artifice.
What works? Abigail Breslin's Olive is wonderful, and the rest of the cast is quite game. And Mychael Danna's score is one of the year's best. And god bless those Arizona highways.
What works? Abigail Breslin's Olive is wonderful, and the rest of the cast is quite game. And Mychael Danna's score is one of the year's best. And god bless those Arizona highways.
"How's the despair?"
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The Original BJ
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I absolutely hate to say this, because I thought this might be my favorite film of the summer, but I found Little Miss Sunshine wholly unspectacular. Have we really reached the era where THIS is a Sundance sensation? If people thought Junebug and The Squid and the Whale were slight, I can't begin to imagine the disappointment in store when they see this little trifle.
I found much of the road trip portion of the film to be rather dull, with stale attempts at humor that become increasingly repetitive as the film proceeds. Tonally the film is all over the place. There's a sequence I won't spoil where things seem to be moving into darker, more interesting territory, but the shift back into broad comedy happens too quickly, shattering the dramatic heft of the entire sequence.
The Little Miss Sunshine pageant is at once the best and most problematic sequence in the film. There's no doubt that things begin to liven up here, with the film's horrific skewering of beauty pageants. I think Abigail Breslin is a real find, and she gets some great laughs. But the whole sequence is far too over-the-top, and the same endless note continues to play louder and louder for far too long. The near-burlesque tone of this portion also feels completely out of place within the rest of the film, which relies more on humane quirkiness than caricature.
And then the film just ends. I actually sort of missed the expected moralizing that at least would have given this conclusion some extra oomph. But no, the film simply stops, and the script's utter flimsiness becomes even more apparent.
I really wanted to like this film. It's an increasingly frustrating trend of modern moviegoing that the "independent" counterprogramming is often just as conventional and banal as mainstream studio fare, and yet somehow more respected and acclaimed. All I know is that I had more fun at Superman Returns AND Pirates of the Caribbean. And especially Cars.
I found much of the road trip portion of the film to be rather dull, with stale attempts at humor that become increasingly repetitive as the film proceeds. Tonally the film is all over the place. There's a sequence I won't spoil where things seem to be moving into darker, more interesting territory, but the shift back into broad comedy happens too quickly, shattering the dramatic heft of the entire sequence.
The Little Miss Sunshine pageant is at once the best and most problematic sequence in the film. There's no doubt that things begin to liven up here, with the film's horrific skewering of beauty pageants. I think Abigail Breslin is a real find, and she gets some great laughs. But the whole sequence is far too over-the-top, and the same endless note continues to play louder and louder for far too long. The near-burlesque tone of this portion also feels completely out of place within the rest of the film, which relies more on humane quirkiness than caricature.
And then the film just ends. I actually sort of missed the expected moralizing that at least would have given this conclusion some extra oomph. But no, the film simply stops, and the script's utter flimsiness becomes even more apparent.
I really wanted to like this film. It's an increasingly frustrating trend of modern moviegoing that the "independent" counterprogramming is often just as conventional and banal as mainstream studio fare, and yet somehow more respected and acclaimed. All I know is that I had more fun at Superman Returns AND Pirates of the Caribbean. And especially Cars.
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VanHelsing
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hmmm... is Marc in any way related to Jon Turtletaub, director of Sandra Bullock's While You Were Sleeping?Sonic Youth wrote:Produced by Marc Turtletaub
Olive - Abigail Breslin
and i didn't know Abigail is playing the title role in this one... i like her brother, Spencer... he was very chubby and cute in Disney's The Kid... guess i'll catch this when it comes out...
With a Southern accent...
"Don't you dare lie to me!" and...
"You threaten my congeniality, you threaten me!"
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"You shouldn't be doing what you're doing. The truth is enough!"
"Are you and Perry?" ... "Please, Nelle."
"Don't you dare lie to me!" and...
"You threaten my congeniality, you threaten me!"
-------
"You shouldn't be doing what you're doing. The truth is enough!"
"Are you and Perry?" ... "Please, Nelle."
Ay-yi-yi! I've read some very positive reactions to this film. Looks like an Audience Prize Winner, almost assuredly. At the very least, nice to know that Wes fever is continuing unabated. At the worst, means such sensibilities might become outdated by the time I get to Sundance. Either way, really looking forward to this film.
"How's the despair?"
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Sonic Youth
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I think we've found our sleeper hit of the year.
Sabin, click here for a photo and not to think "Wes Anderson".
Little Miss Sunshine
By Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
PARK CITY -- A screwball family takes to the road and wondrously finds itself in this crowd-pleaser at Sundance. A brainy blend of farce and heart, this is one of those movies that veteran moviegoers complain they don't make anymore. Most winningly, "Little Miss Sunshine" should radiate warm appreciation across age and class lines.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr....1882944
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Little Miss Sunshine
A Fox Searchlight release of a Big Beach/Bonafide production. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa. Executive producers, Jeb Brody, Michael Beugg. Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris.
Richard - Greg Kinnear
Frank - Steve Carell
Sheryl - Toni Collette
Grandpa - Alan Arkin
Olive - Abigail Breslin
Dwayne - Paul Dano
By DAVID ROONEY
VARIETY
Veteran husband-and-wife musicvideo and commercials team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris make a disarming segue into features with "Little Miss Sunshine," a quietly antic dysfunctional family road trip comedy that shoots down the all-American culture of the winner and offers sweet redemption for losers -- or at least the ordinary folks often branded as such. Pic's distinguished by a flawless cast, a gentle spirit of rebellion and a smart script by first-time screenwriter Michael Arndt that knows never to push its character quirks too hard. Its humanity and heart make it a natural to transcend the indie niche to a broader audience.
http://www.variety.com/index.a....7929303
----------------------------------------
Little Miss Sunshine
Mike Goodridge in Park City
Screendaily
Dirs: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. US. 2006. 100mins.
The first big hit of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, sold the night after its first screening last Friday to Fox Searchlight for over $10m, Little Miss Sunshine is a genuinely delightful comedy about a family of misfits on a roadtrip to a beauty pageant.
Playing like an independent version of National Lampoon’s Vacation, with the Hoover family here a darker, three-dimensional take on the Griswald clan, the film is a highly engaging, confident first feature for Dayton and Faris and screenwriter Michael Arndt which had audiences and critics alike laughing out loud in Park City.
Although the film runs the risk of being a “tweener” – that awkward independent film like Happy Texas or The Spitfire Grill which appeals to neither mainstream or arthouse audiences – Fox Searchlight will no doubt build the film carefully as it has in the past with other Sundance acquisitions like Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State.
Word-of-mouth will propel it to respectable theatrical grosses, while the presence of The 40 Year-Old Virgin himself Steve Carell in one of the lead roles will help broaden its appeal on DVD and TV. International audiences will find much to laugh at in the grotesque Americana of the piece (child beauty pageant, nine-step motivational programme), although Fox International will find it harder to establish the title outside a cult following since there are no A-list names in the cast.
Not that the performances here aren’t outstanding. The comic ensemble – consisting principally of Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Carell, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin – is exceptional, working seamlessly together while each actor creates well-realised individual characters right down to nine year-old Breslin (who played Mel Gibson’s daughter in Signs)....
....Little Miss Sunshine is more subtly drawn and authentically poignant than your average studio family comedy, yet its laugh-factor is far higher. The haplessness and helplessness of the characters are a rich source of the comedy but Arndt, the directors and the actors ensure that we are not laughing with derision but with empathy.
Certainly each family member is probably a “loser” in the lexicon of the American Dream, but the film concludes that the pursuit of that Dream is a waste of time, that there are more important things in life than winning.
Sabin, click here for a photo and not to think "Wes Anderson".
Little Miss Sunshine
By Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
PARK CITY -- A screwball family takes to the road and wondrously finds itself in this crowd-pleaser at Sundance. A brainy blend of farce and heart, this is one of those movies that veteran moviegoers complain they don't make anymore. Most winningly, "Little Miss Sunshine" should radiate warm appreciation across age and class lines.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr....1882944
-------------------------------------
Little Miss Sunshine
A Fox Searchlight release of a Big Beach/Bonafide production. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa. Executive producers, Jeb Brody, Michael Beugg. Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris.
Richard - Greg Kinnear
Frank - Steve Carell
Sheryl - Toni Collette
Grandpa - Alan Arkin
Olive - Abigail Breslin
Dwayne - Paul Dano
By DAVID ROONEY
VARIETY
Veteran husband-and-wife musicvideo and commercials team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris make a disarming segue into features with "Little Miss Sunshine," a quietly antic dysfunctional family road trip comedy that shoots down the all-American culture of the winner and offers sweet redemption for losers -- or at least the ordinary folks often branded as such. Pic's distinguished by a flawless cast, a gentle spirit of rebellion and a smart script by first-time screenwriter Michael Arndt that knows never to push its character quirks too hard. Its humanity and heart make it a natural to transcend the indie niche to a broader audience.
http://www.variety.com/index.a....7929303
----------------------------------------
Little Miss Sunshine
Mike Goodridge in Park City
Screendaily
Dirs: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. US. 2006. 100mins.
The first big hit of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, sold the night after its first screening last Friday to Fox Searchlight for over $10m, Little Miss Sunshine is a genuinely delightful comedy about a family of misfits on a roadtrip to a beauty pageant.
Playing like an independent version of National Lampoon’s Vacation, with the Hoover family here a darker, three-dimensional take on the Griswald clan, the film is a highly engaging, confident first feature for Dayton and Faris and screenwriter Michael Arndt which had audiences and critics alike laughing out loud in Park City.
Although the film runs the risk of being a “tweener” – that awkward independent film like Happy Texas or The Spitfire Grill which appeals to neither mainstream or arthouse audiences – Fox Searchlight will no doubt build the film carefully as it has in the past with other Sundance acquisitions like Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State.
Word-of-mouth will propel it to respectable theatrical grosses, while the presence of The 40 Year-Old Virgin himself Steve Carell in one of the lead roles will help broaden its appeal on DVD and TV. International audiences will find much to laugh at in the grotesque Americana of the piece (child beauty pageant, nine-step motivational programme), although Fox International will find it harder to establish the title outside a cult following since there are no A-list names in the cast.
Not that the performances here aren’t outstanding. The comic ensemble – consisting principally of Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Carell, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin – is exceptional, working seamlessly together while each actor creates well-realised individual characters right down to nine year-old Breslin (who played Mel Gibson’s daughter in Signs)....
....Little Miss Sunshine is more subtly drawn and authentically poignant than your average studio family comedy, yet its laugh-factor is far higher. The haplessness and helplessness of the characters are a rich source of the comedy but Arndt, the directors and the actors ensure that we are not laughing with derision but with empathy.
Certainly each family member is probably a “loser” in the lexicon of the American Dream, but the film concludes that the pursuit of that Dream is a waste of time, that there are more important things in life than winning.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler