Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Release date: 2006-08-18
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Production Co: Fox Searchlight Pictures, Big Beach Films, Bona Fide Productions
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: 7.8/10
Length: 1h 41min

Storyline

In Albuquerque, Sheryl Hoover brings her suicidal brother Frank to the breast of her dysfunctional and emotionally bankrupted family. Frank is homosexual, an expert in Proust. He tried to commit suicide when he was rejected by his boyfriend and his great competitor became renowned and recognized as number one in the field of Proust. Sheryl's husband Richard is unsuccessfully trying to sell his self-help and self-improvement technique using nine steps to reach success, but he is actually a complete loser. Her son Dwayne has taken a vow of silence as a follower of Nietzsche and aims to be a jet pilot. Dwayne's grandfather Edwin was sent away from the institution for elders (Sunset Manor) and is addicted in heroin. When her seven-year-old daughter Olive has a chance to dispute the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, California, the whole family travels together in their old Volkswagen Type 2 (Kombi) in a funny journey of hope of winning the talent contest and to make a dream ...

Plot Keywords

gay, remote control, pride, father son relationship, father daughter relationship, dysfunctional family, hospital, death, dancing, sister sister relationship, uncle nephew relationship, teenager, drugs, graduate student, beauty pageant, cross country trip, on the road, journey, homosexual, cult film

Short Review

All indie-movie families may start out unhappy in their own way, but by the time the final credits roll, everyone remains complacent, confident of their brood's superiority.