The Cider House Rules is a 1999 movie, based on a 1985 novel by John Irving. It stars Tobey Maguire as Homer, an orphan who becomes the protege for the director of the orphanage, Dr. Wilbur Larch (played by Michael Caine). Homer is trained to be a Dr. Larch's assistant and helps care for the abandoned children, the delivery of babies, but refuses to take part in the actual performing of the (illegal) abortions that Dr. Lynch sometimes performs.
Homer, as the oldest orphan, is looked up to by all the children and is heavily depended on by all.
He sees an opportunity to go out on his own when a young army officer (Wally) and a girl (Candy) come to see Dr. Larch for an abortion. He asks Wally if he can catch a ride when they leave and ends up working in Wally's family apple orchard, along with a migrant work crew led by Mr. Rose.
Wally ends up getting orders and leaves for the war, and Homer and Candy end up getting close to each other, eventually falling in love.
They learn that Wally has been shot down and is paralyzed because of encephalitis and will therefore be returning home soon. Meanwhile, Homer realizes that Rose Rose, Mr. Rose's daughter, has become pregnant and reaches out to help her. He and Candy discover that the Rose's father is the father of her baby.
Homer realizes that he can help her and ends up performing an abortion in the migrant quarters. He also realizes that Candy is going to need to take care of Wally when he returns and therefore, he must leave.
As the migrant workers are preparing to leave, Rose runs away. She stabs her father after he tries to molest her again, and flees. Mr. Rose ends up dying in the bunkhouse.
Homer receives word that Dr. Larch has died from an accidental overdose of ether (which he seemed to be quite addicted to). He decides to return to the orphanage to help out and realizes that Dr. Larch lied to him (out of love) about his heart condition, and had also set him up to be his replacement by creating a false record of Homer's medical certifications.
The movie ends with Homer reading to the boys at the orphanage and saying good night to the "Princes of Maine - the Kings of New England" just as Dr. Larch had done each night for years.
The setting of the film was beautiful and the photography of the northeast was breathtaking.
The main theme of this film was that as much as we'd like our world to be black and white, it's not always that easy. Homer is opposed to performing abortions, but ends up softening his stance and therefore, becoming more like Dr. Larch, after he comes to believe that it would be better to have them done safely with him rather than in a way that would be more dangerous.
I'm personally totally uncomfortable with this view and would therefore have liked to have things more black and white.
I think another thing I wrestle with was how loving Dr. Larch and his staff were with the children at the orphanage and how they handled adoptions and tried to give children good homes, and yet, under the same roof they were performing abortions. It seems at first glance to be quite a contradiction.
We also see Dr. Larch breaking all sorts of rules throughout, and yet he comes across as a very loving, caring man.
The quote that sort of rings true throughout the film was stated by Mr. Rose on his deathbed, when he said, "Sometimes, ya gotta break some rules, to put things straight."
Rules were changing all the time throughout the film, just like they sort of do in life. As much as I want things to be black and white, I acknowledge that much of that is out of my control and we have to somehow figure things out as we go along.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 movie, based on the 1960 Pulitzer-prize winning book with the same title, written by Harper Lee. Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a small town southern lawyer who is raising his two children alone after the death of their mother.
The film is set in 1932 in a town called Maycomb, Alabama, where most of the people are very poor, struggling with the aftermath of the stock market crash and subsequent depression in the U.S. The other struggle they face is the issue of racism in their community, something many communities could relate to.
The story is told through Atticus' six-year old tomboy daughter Jean Louise (who goes by Scout). The older Scout narrates the film as she looks back at the adventures she shared with her older brother, Jem, and a boy named Dill who came to visit each summer.
The film shows some of the adventures the kids have, especially concentrating on the mysterious neighbor boy, Boo Radley, who has been hidden from public view by his parents. This is the source of many tales throughout the community and Scout, Jem, and Dill are very curious about what Boo is really like.
Atticus is well respected in the community and tries to instill values in his children by conducting himself in a very caring way. He's not the kind of dad, however, that goes outside to play with the kids. He's much more serious and thoughtful than that. Jem is constantly asking for a gun. He feels that Atticus isn't being fair or understands why he would want a gun. You can tell that the kids are impressed when they are confronted by a rabid dog and the sheriff and Atticus come racing over to take care of it. Instead of shooting the dog himself, the sheriff tells Atticus to do it because he is the "best shot in the county."
Atticus has been asked to represent a negro man (Tom Robinson) accused of raping a young white woman. Kids at school tease Scout about her dad defending a ni**er, which prompts her to fight the offending kids. The harassment certainly isn't limited to young people, however, as many of the white men in the community confront Atticus and urge him to step aside so they can take care of justice for Tom Robinson, themselves.
Atticus does his best job in defending Tom, but Tom is still found guilty (by an all-white jury), despite overwhelming evidence that the crime did not happen and that the girl was instead beaten by her ignorant, town-drunk father, Bob Ewell. Scout, Jem, and Dill watch the trial from the courthouse balcony area, oblivious to the fact that the balcony is where all the negro people sit. After the verdict is read and Tom is taken away, the white people in the courthouse all leave. The negro people in the balcony, however stand and wait for Atticus to pass by, out of respect for what he has done for Tom - and for them. The Reverend who is letting the kids sit by him, tells Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."
The children are very sad that the Tom was found guilty, but their neighbor, Maudie Atkinson tries to make Jem feel better about their dad by saying, "I don't know if it will help saying this to you... some men in this world are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us... your father is one of them." This is, to me, one of the most inspiring lines from the movie.
Tom dies that night in an escape attempt and Mr. Ewell swears revenge for embarrassing him at the trial.
A few months later, Scout and Jem are attacked by Mr. Ewell as they are on their way home from a Halloween pageant. They are saved by a mysterious man, who carries away the unconscious and injured Jem back to his house. Scout realizes it is Boo. The Sheriff is called to check things out and he discovers that Mr. Ewell has been killed with a kitchen knife. After thinking it through, the Sheriff tells Atticus there will be no charges filed - that it was obvious to everyone that Ewell fell on his knife while attacking the children.
This is a great movie! There is symbolism used throughout (such as the symbolism that "killing a mocking bird is a sin. The don't do anything but sing their hearts out for us."), and the theme of standing up against evil and doing the right thing is prevalent throughout. The microcosm of Maycomb and the fight against racism and segregation of the 1930's was very important in the early 1960's when the Civil Rights movement was going strong. It's a message that still resonates today.
I loved the innocent inquisitiveness of Scout and how she could be so direct with people.
Shadows and and a feeling of eeriness and mystery were used very well - especially when the kids would be looking at Boo's house. The black and white movie even seemed to by symbolic of the black and white symbolism throughout. Whites on main floor of courthouse, blacks upstairs. The black and white issue of fairness and justice (which wasn't served here), and the grayness of how they dealt with the death of Mr. Ewell at the end. Justice was done, in the end, by even then, Atticus was trying to figure out how to solve the issue through the legal system. It was the Sheriff who told him that there wouldn't be any charges pressed - that it Bob Ewell killed himself.
Scout agreed that there shouldn't be any charges pressed against Boo...that "it would be sort of like killing a mockingbird."
The film is set in 1932 in a town called Maycomb, Alabama, where most of the people are very poor, struggling with the aftermath of the stock market crash and subsequent depression in the U.S. The other struggle they face is the issue of racism in their community, something many communities could relate to.
The story is told through Atticus' six-year old tomboy daughter Jean Louise (who goes by Scout). The older Scout narrates the film as she looks back at the adventures she shared with her older brother, Jem, and a boy named Dill who came to visit each summer.
The film shows some of the adventures the kids have, especially concentrating on the mysterious neighbor boy, Boo Radley, who has been hidden from public view by his parents. This is the source of many tales throughout the community and Scout, Jem, and Dill are very curious about what Boo is really like.
Atticus is well respected in the community and tries to instill values in his children by conducting himself in a very caring way. He's not the kind of dad, however, that goes outside to play with the kids. He's much more serious and thoughtful than that. Jem is constantly asking for a gun. He feels that Atticus isn't being fair or understands why he would want a gun. You can tell that the kids are impressed when they are confronted by a rabid dog and the sheriff and Atticus come racing over to take care of it. Instead of shooting the dog himself, the sheriff tells Atticus to do it because he is the "best shot in the county."
Atticus has been asked to represent a negro man (Tom Robinson) accused of raping a young white woman. Kids at school tease Scout about her dad defending a ni**er, which prompts her to fight the offending kids. The harassment certainly isn't limited to young people, however, as many of the white men in the community confront Atticus and urge him to step aside so they can take care of justice for Tom Robinson, themselves.
Atticus does his best job in defending Tom, but Tom is still found guilty (by an all-white jury), despite overwhelming evidence that the crime did not happen and that the girl was instead beaten by her ignorant, town-drunk father, Bob Ewell. Scout, Jem, and Dill watch the trial from the courthouse balcony area, oblivious to the fact that the balcony is where all the negro people sit. After the verdict is read and Tom is taken away, the white people in the courthouse all leave. The negro people in the balcony, however stand and wait for Atticus to pass by, out of respect for what he has done for Tom - and for them. The Reverend who is letting the kids sit by him, tells Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."
The children are very sad that the Tom was found guilty, but their neighbor, Maudie Atkinson tries to make Jem feel better about their dad by saying, "I don't know if it will help saying this to you... some men in this world are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us... your father is one of them." This is, to me, one of the most inspiring lines from the movie.
Tom dies that night in an escape attempt and Mr. Ewell swears revenge for embarrassing him at the trial.
A few months later, Scout and Jem are attacked by Mr. Ewell as they are on their way home from a Halloween pageant. They are saved by a mysterious man, who carries away the unconscious and injured Jem back to his house. Scout realizes it is Boo. The Sheriff is called to check things out and he discovers that Mr. Ewell has been killed with a kitchen knife. After thinking it through, the Sheriff tells Atticus there will be no charges filed - that it was obvious to everyone that Ewell fell on his knife while attacking the children.
This is a great movie! There is symbolism used throughout (such as the symbolism that "killing a mocking bird is a sin. The don't do anything but sing their hearts out for us."), and the theme of standing up against evil and doing the right thing is prevalent throughout. The microcosm of Maycomb and the fight against racism and segregation of the 1930's was very important in the early 1960's when the Civil Rights movement was going strong. It's a message that still resonates today.
I loved the innocent inquisitiveness of Scout and how she could be so direct with people.
Shadows and and a feeling of eeriness and mystery were used very well - especially when the kids would be looking at Boo's house. The black and white movie even seemed to by symbolic of the black and white symbolism throughout. Whites on main floor of courthouse, blacks upstairs. The black and white issue of fairness and justice (which wasn't served here), and the grayness of how they dealt with the death of Mr. Ewell at the end. Justice was done, in the end, by even then, Atticus was trying to figure out how to solve the issue through the legal system. It was the Sheriff who told him that there wouldn't be any charges pressed - that it Bob Ewell killed himself.
Scout agreed that there shouldn't be any charges pressed against Boo...that "it would be sort of like killing a mockingbird."
The Cove
The Cove is a 2009 documentary featuring Ric O'Barry and his quest to end the industry of capturing dolphins for entertainment parks and other tourist industries, and the mass killing of dolphins for food. What makes Ric such a noteworthy champion of this cause is the fact that he was the person who captured and trained the dolphins used in the television series Flipper. He changed his mind about his profession after one of the dolphins that played Flipper became very depressed and made a conscious effort to stop breathing while in Ric's arms.
Ric concentrates his efforts on exposing and stopping the inhumane harvesting of dolphins in a Japanese fishing village called Taiji. Taiji is one of the leading suppliers in the world of dolphins used by marine parks and tourism-related businesses. He enlists the help filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society - to help get the word out to the world of the atrocities going on in this seemingly beautiful cove in Taiji. They assemble a small team of experts to help with the mission, which gives the documentary a more dramatic, suspenseful feel.
Using a wide variety of high-tech cameras - like night vision, infrared, heat detection - and incorporating the shots into the final film definitely gets the audience more engaged in the story.
The scenery is beautiful and the underwater shots of dolphins swimming in the wild are simply amazing.
There isn't a lot of film time that actually displays the unbelievably horrible way that these dolphins are captured and slaughtered (thankfully). Much of the film concentrates on building up the story, giving us information about how various worldwide bodies have positioned themselves on the issue of killing dolphins, what Ric has done to this point, and kind of a behind the scenes look at the preparation for the filming mission at the cove.
The authorities in Taiji are of course very concerned about any threat to the well-being of their community and their livelihood and come across very negatively in the film, harassing and intimidating anyone who seems to be against what they feel is their traditional way of life.
It is all woven together very well as a passionate call to action. Watching the film is not enough. If you want to change the world, you're going to have to act.
I found myself completely engrossed in the film, and I see the righteousness of the cause. I wonder, though, what people would say about the U.S. meatpacking industry, or how poultry are harvested. Couldn't just about anything - if you presented the story right - be deemed as evil and draw the ire of activists around the world?
That being said, I really do think there is difference between the way cows and chickens are raised for food (and the regulations that are in place that govern the process) and the way wild mammals are driven to a small cove by the thousands for execution. Everyone acknowledges that dolphin meat isn't that tasty and contains high levels of mercury.
Why do they do it, then - and why do we (collectively) allow it to happen? It's a good question, and it's a question that The Cove does a great job of asking.
Ric concentrates his efforts on exposing and stopping the inhumane harvesting of dolphins in a Japanese fishing village called Taiji. Taiji is one of the leading suppliers in the world of dolphins used by marine parks and tourism-related businesses. He enlists the help filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society - to help get the word out to the world of the atrocities going on in this seemingly beautiful cove in Taiji. They assemble a small team of experts to help with the mission, which gives the documentary a more dramatic, suspenseful feel.
Using a wide variety of high-tech cameras - like night vision, infrared, heat detection - and incorporating the shots into the final film definitely gets the audience more engaged in the story.
The scenery is beautiful and the underwater shots of dolphins swimming in the wild are simply amazing.
There isn't a lot of film time that actually displays the unbelievably horrible way that these dolphins are captured and slaughtered (thankfully). Much of the film concentrates on building up the story, giving us information about how various worldwide bodies have positioned themselves on the issue of killing dolphins, what Ric has done to this point, and kind of a behind the scenes look at the preparation for the filming mission at the cove.
The authorities in Taiji are of course very concerned about any threat to the well-being of their community and their livelihood and come across very negatively in the film, harassing and intimidating anyone who seems to be against what they feel is their traditional way of life.
It is all woven together very well as a passionate call to action. Watching the film is not enough. If you want to change the world, you're going to have to act.
I found myself completely engrossed in the film, and I see the righteousness of the cause. I wonder, though, what people would say about the U.S. meatpacking industry, or how poultry are harvested. Couldn't just about anything - if you presented the story right - be deemed as evil and draw the ire of activists around the world?
That being said, I really do think there is difference between the way cows and chickens are raised for food (and the regulations that are in place that govern the process) and the way wild mammals are driven to a small cove by the thousands for execution. Everyone acknowledges that dolphin meat isn't that tasty and contains high levels of mercury.
Why do they do it, then - and why do we (collectively) allow it to happen? It's a good question, and it's a question that The Cove does a great job of asking.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
The Full Monty
The Full Monty was a very entertaining movie that was a lot deeper than I thought it would be. It was released in 1997 and is set in the English steel city of Sheffield.
I thought the opening was interesting when they used a promotional video of Sheffield from the early 1970's to sort of set the setting of the movie - a once thriving city that is now struggling because of the closure of their steel mills.
The main characters of the movie are struggling to deal with the aftermath of their unemployment.
The colors and setting of the film portray a bleak, industrial-style look, which makes it very apparent that the city - and its people - are in hard times.
The plot centers on the lives of a few of the unemployed employees from one of the factories. Gaz (played by Robert Carlyle), and Dave (Mark Addy) are good friends and are struggling to regain their livelihood (and their manhood). They recruit a few others, including their old foreman, to try to make some money and regain some confidence by becoming male strippers, after seeing the enthusiasm displayed by the women in their community for a Chippendale dancer show at a local club.
The subject matter covered in this film was pretty expansive. Certainly, unemployment was central to the plot, but many symptoms or byproducts were also covered: child custody and alimony, depression, suicide, homosexuality, body image, honesty, and even erectile dysfunction.
I think it's easy to see a lot of our own flaws and feelings in the characters of the movie.
The music used in the film was fantastic, as was the acting. The characters seemed like real people that were actually going through these issues.
I found it very amusing that Gaz would allow his son to be around for this escapade, but as you look at the relationship between the two, it seems Nathan is almost more of the father-figure. Gaz seems to think of Nathan as sort of a playmate or partner for his crazy ventures. Nathan really wants to believe in and respect his father and more than that, wants his Dad to respect himself and become more like a dad.
Dave is terribly insecure and unhappy. He doesn't feel like the man he wants to be, is overweight, and is not able to perform sexually with his wife.
They save Lomper from killing himself and recruit him, along with their old supervisor Gerald to start a male stripper ensemble. Gerald has his own issues, as he has been unable to tell his wife that he has lost his job - even though it's been six months. She only finds out once their furniture and belongings start to get re-possessed. Together, they decide to turn their lives around - at least for a night - by becoming part of Hot Metal - the name of their group.
The movie was very funny, but also very sobering as you watch the characters struggle with their identities and the trials and tribulations of losing everything they knew.
Again, this was a very good movie that was very uplifting. In the end, the guys showed their community and the ones they loved, that they were resilient and were on their way back.
...and we even got to see more gnomes!!
I thought the opening was interesting when they used a promotional video of Sheffield from the early 1970's to sort of set the setting of the movie - a once thriving city that is now struggling because of the closure of their steel mills.
The main characters of the movie are struggling to deal with the aftermath of their unemployment.
The colors and setting of the film portray a bleak, industrial-style look, which makes it very apparent that the city - and its people - are in hard times.
The plot centers on the lives of a few of the unemployed employees from one of the factories. Gaz (played by Robert Carlyle), and Dave (Mark Addy) are good friends and are struggling to regain their livelihood (and their manhood). They recruit a few others, including their old foreman, to try to make some money and regain some confidence by becoming male strippers, after seeing the enthusiasm displayed by the women in their community for a Chippendale dancer show at a local club.
The subject matter covered in this film was pretty expansive. Certainly, unemployment was central to the plot, but many symptoms or byproducts were also covered: child custody and alimony, depression, suicide, homosexuality, body image, honesty, and even erectile dysfunction.
I think it's easy to see a lot of our own flaws and feelings in the characters of the movie.
The music used in the film was fantastic, as was the acting. The characters seemed like real people that were actually going through these issues.
I found it very amusing that Gaz would allow his son to be around for this escapade, but as you look at the relationship between the two, it seems Nathan is almost more of the father-figure. Gaz seems to think of Nathan as sort of a playmate or partner for his crazy ventures. Nathan really wants to believe in and respect his father and more than that, wants his Dad to respect himself and become more like a dad.
Dave is terribly insecure and unhappy. He doesn't feel like the man he wants to be, is overweight, and is not able to perform sexually with his wife.
They save Lomper from killing himself and recruit him, along with their old supervisor Gerald to start a male stripper ensemble. Gerald has his own issues, as he has been unable to tell his wife that he has lost his job - even though it's been six months. She only finds out once their furniture and belongings start to get re-possessed. Together, they decide to turn their lives around - at least for a night - by becoming part of Hot Metal - the name of their group.
The movie was very funny, but also very sobering as you watch the characters struggle with their identities and the trials and tribulations of losing everything they knew.
Again, this was a very good movie that was very uplifting. In the end, the guys showed their community and the ones they loved, that they were resilient and were on their way back.
...and we even got to see more gnomes!!
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is a 2008 film directed by Chrisopher Nolan (who also directed Memento), based on the DC Comic character, Batman.
I went to this movie in a theater back in 2008 and I recall how dark I thought the movie was, along with how violent. In particular, the scene where the Joker (played brilliantly by Heath Ledger) shows the mobsters how a pencil can disappear stood out as I recalled what I remembered of the movie.
Watching it again this week, though, helped me to see a lot more of the movie.
What I saw was much more than just a dark movie. Much of the action was set in the dark, but again that's when Batman comes out to fight against the bad guys. The title of the movie is very fitting in this regard.
Christian Bale plays the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne and does a great job. I really like him as Batman and think he is the most well-rounded of the various Batman's that we've seen. Much has been said about the way Heath Ledger played the role of the Joker. As far as crazy, bad guys go - this is it!! He played him so well, a complicated, psychopathic, arch-enemy to not just Batman, but to all of humanity.
This was definitely a story of good versus evil, but there are also facets of evil versus evil, and even good versus good (as Harvey Dent changes into the role of Two Face), and also the on-going conflict that goes on within Bruce Wayne/Batman as he struggles with his role of being Batman in Gotham City.
Harvey Dent had a quote at one point that I think encapsulates some of that internal struggle within Batman. "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." As the movie ends we see that Batman will indeed become the villain as the stage is set for the next Batman movie.
The action scenes and set designs were very good. Nolan made very good use of the skyline and architecture of Gotham City (Chicago). The sound and score tied into the film brilliantly. There were also beautiful shots of Gothem City, which helped me connect more to the city than I had in previous Batman movies.
The acting from the main characters was tremendous, including Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, but the supporting cast with Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox were also quite good and added an extra dimension of believability.
Finally, the style that Christopher Nolan uses with this film make his interpretation of Batman seem more believable than in any of the other Batman movies I've seen. I love movies that have a higher theme, a theme that deals with humanity, mankind's relationship with mankind. With The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan effectively got viewers to see the larger picture.
I went to this movie in a theater back in 2008 and I recall how dark I thought the movie was, along with how violent. In particular, the scene where the Joker (played brilliantly by Heath Ledger) shows the mobsters how a pencil can disappear stood out as I recalled what I remembered of the movie.
Watching it again this week, though, helped me to see a lot more of the movie.
What I saw was much more than just a dark movie. Much of the action was set in the dark, but again that's when Batman comes out to fight against the bad guys. The title of the movie is very fitting in this regard.
Christian Bale plays the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne and does a great job. I really like him as Batman and think he is the most well-rounded of the various Batman's that we've seen. Much has been said about the way Heath Ledger played the role of the Joker. As far as crazy, bad guys go - this is it!! He played him so well, a complicated, psychopathic, arch-enemy to not just Batman, but to all of humanity.
This was definitely a story of good versus evil, but there are also facets of evil versus evil, and even good versus good (as Harvey Dent changes into the role of Two Face), and also the on-going conflict that goes on within Bruce Wayne/Batman as he struggles with his role of being Batman in Gotham City.
Harvey Dent had a quote at one point that I think encapsulates some of that internal struggle within Batman. "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." As the movie ends we see that Batman will indeed become the villain as the stage is set for the next Batman movie.
The action scenes and set designs were very good. Nolan made very good use of the skyline and architecture of Gotham City (Chicago). The sound and score tied into the film brilliantly. There were also beautiful shots of Gothem City, which helped me connect more to the city than I had in previous Batman movies.
The acting from the main characters was tremendous, including Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, but the supporting cast with Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox were also quite good and added an extra dimension of believability.
Finally, the style that Christopher Nolan uses with this film make his interpretation of Batman seem more believable than in any of the other Batman movies I've seen. I love movies that have a higher theme, a theme that deals with humanity, mankind's relationship with mankind. With The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan effectively got viewers to see the larger picture.
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a movie from 2006 about a very dysfunctional family from Albuquerque, each with their own struggles, that come together to support the youngest member of their family with her dream of being in a beauty contest.
One of the first things I noticed while watching this film, was how wrapped up each character was in their own life, causing them to be (seemingly) disconnected from being a part of their family.
Richard and Sheryl are the parents who are obviously having financial struggles which is causing quite the strain on the marriage. Richard is hoping to pull his family into financial success with the publishing of a self-help book and speaking tour on his self-improvement method to help you become a winner. Sheryl's teenage son, Dwayne, has an interest in the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and has taken on a vow of silence for nine months. He wants to be an Air Force pilot. His younger sister, Olive, is seven and wants to be a beauty queen. She is being trained by her grandfather (Richard's father) who has come to live with the family because he was kicked out of an Assisted Living facility for using heroin. As the movie opens, Sheryl is picking up her brother, Frank, from a hospital after a failed suicide attempt, who becomes Dwayne's bunkmate, so the family can keep an eye on him to prevent him from attempting suicide again.
Sheryl's sister calls to tell Olive that she is eligible to be in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest in California, but the contest is just in a few days and Richard and Sheryl finally decide that the only way they can get Olive there (and support her dream) is if the entire family goes together - in their (very) yellow VW van.
This family is very dysfunctional, but it was very hard not to root for them to succeed. The trip to California was hilarious (and tense). One thing that became very clear to me was that especially when it came to Olive, they would stick up for each other and put Olive's needs ahead of theirs. Two specific examples were 1) in the restaurant when Olive really wanted some ice cream, but Richard told her she would get fat if she ate ice cream. It was one of those life-defining moments for a young girl and, recognizing this, Frank, Dwayne, Grandpa, and Sheryl all started eating ice cream, which made Olive feel it was OK to have a little ice cream, as well. Later, toward the end, at the beauty contest, Dwayne and Richard felt that Olive was about to really embarrass herself, because of how advanced the other contestants were. The whole family ended up on stage with Olive - going through it together, as a family - so that Olive wouldn't be alone.
I thought the colors (the bright yellow of the van, and the bright red outfits that Olive wore) were very evident throughout the film, and the way the camera was used in the van showing the different story-lines going on was very effective, as well.
One thing I thought of after watching the film was that there really wasn't a central character or story. Everyone had their own stories which tied into the larger story of getting Olive to the pageant. Frank ends up seeing his lover at a convenience store along the trip, Dwayne discovers he's colorblind which meant he couldn't be in the AF and therefore ended his vow of silence with a huge emotional breakdown. Grandpa dies of a heroin overdose in a hotel room along the way, and Richard desperately continues to try to connect with the man who was supposed to be helping to sell his book idea. Meanwhile the van loses the ability to shift from first to second gear and the only way they can get it moving is to push it and then jump in once it's going - kind of like getting into a bobsled. It's a hilarious visual, but is also symbolic of them working together as a family to achieve their goals.
The subject matter in the film was so totally disjointed but came together very seamlessly. I found myself becoming a very big fan of this family by the end of the movie.
I thought the setting and set design were very unique. I have traveled a lot through the southwest and it felt like I was in the van with them as we drove across the desert. The colors, which I mentioned above were very unique and gave the movie a certain feel, which I don't know if I quite describe. For me, it was a pleasing visual feel.
Finally, the casting was great. Collectively, they made this film quite enjoyable - and made my own family, which I always thought was dysfunctional, seem not quite so bad.
One of the first things I noticed while watching this film, was how wrapped up each character was in their own life, causing them to be (seemingly) disconnected from being a part of their family.
Richard and Sheryl are the parents who are obviously having financial struggles which is causing quite the strain on the marriage. Richard is hoping to pull his family into financial success with the publishing of a self-help book and speaking tour on his self-improvement method to help you become a winner. Sheryl's teenage son, Dwayne, has an interest in the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and has taken on a vow of silence for nine months. He wants to be an Air Force pilot. His younger sister, Olive, is seven and wants to be a beauty queen. She is being trained by her grandfather (Richard's father) who has come to live with the family because he was kicked out of an Assisted Living facility for using heroin. As the movie opens, Sheryl is picking up her brother, Frank, from a hospital after a failed suicide attempt, who becomes Dwayne's bunkmate, so the family can keep an eye on him to prevent him from attempting suicide again.
Sheryl's sister calls to tell Olive that she is eligible to be in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest in California, but the contest is just in a few days and Richard and Sheryl finally decide that the only way they can get Olive there (and support her dream) is if the entire family goes together - in their (very) yellow VW van.
This family is very dysfunctional, but it was very hard not to root for them to succeed. The trip to California was hilarious (and tense). One thing that became very clear to me was that especially when it came to Olive, they would stick up for each other and put Olive's needs ahead of theirs. Two specific examples were 1) in the restaurant when Olive really wanted some ice cream, but Richard told her she would get fat if she ate ice cream. It was one of those life-defining moments for a young girl and, recognizing this, Frank, Dwayne, Grandpa, and Sheryl all started eating ice cream, which made Olive feel it was OK to have a little ice cream, as well. Later, toward the end, at the beauty contest, Dwayne and Richard felt that Olive was about to really embarrass herself, because of how advanced the other contestants were. The whole family ended up on stage with Olive - going through it together, as a family - so that Olive wouldn't be alone.
I thought the colors (the bright yellow of the van, and the bright red outfits that Olive wore) were very evident throughout the film, and the way the camera was used in the van showing the different story-lines going on was very effective, as well.
One thing I thought of after watching the film was that there really wasn't a central character or story. Everyone had their own stories which tied into the larger story of getting Olive to the pageant. Frank ends up seeing his lover at a convenience store along the trip, Dwayne discovers he's colorblind which meant he couldn't be in the AF and therefore ended his vow of silence with a huge emotional breakdown. Grandpa dies of a heroin overdose in a hotel room along the way, and Richard desperately continues to try to connect with the man who was supposed to be helping to sell his book idea. Meanwhile the van loses the ability to shift from first to second gear and the only way they can get it moving is to push it and then jump in once it's going - kind of like getting into a bobsled. It's a hilarious visual, but is also symbolic of them working together as a family to achieve their goals.
The subject matter in the film was so totally disjointed but came together very seamlessly. I found myself becoming a very big fan of this family by the end of the movie.
I thought the setting and set design were very unique. I have traveled a lot through the southwest and it felt like I was in the van with them as we drove across the desert. The colors, which I mentioned above were very unique and gave the movie a certain feel, which I don't know if I quite describe. For me, it was a pleasing visual feel.
Finally, the casting was great. Collectively, they made this film quite enjoyable - and made my own family, which I always thought was dysfunctional, seem not quite so bad.
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