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.