Imagine, if you will, 6 people who are as different from each other as Pepsi is from ice cream, but have one thing in common: they are all related to one another. With some that connection is rather tenuous, either because of marriage or dislike, but the fact remains that they’re all family, and there is no getting around that, much as they sometimes wish. Little Miss Sunshine is a film about the unbreakable connection of family, and about the way that even though you may fight with them, scorn them, and do things simply to piss them off, you will always be there for them in their time of need, just as they would be for you.Gone are the days of Ward and June Cleaver, and family dynamics are no longer simple. Actually, they were never simple; shows like Leave It to Beaver just desperately wanted you to think so. Now we have broken homes, homes with additional members, and even parental units that exist of two members of the same sex. Just as regular households have become rarer, functional families have become rarer, too (though the relation of the two is very debatable). Little Miss Sunshine demonstrates that, and also demonstrates that even though things are frustratingly complicated now, they don’t have to be bad.
Little Miss Sunshine deserves to be a Best Picture nominee for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the splendid way in which it shows the familial bond, its good and bad parts. It does this through caricature, and that fits in with the tone and plot of the film. It’s technically called a comedy, and it is ridiculously funny. But the contrivances and conventions of comedy are strangely missing, and even stranger, it’s not really a problem. There are plenty of laughs, but there are also moments of stark seriousness, and that mixture catches us off-guard. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Second are the fantastic performances in it. Of the six main characters, only Toni Collette is just so-so, and the rest are amazing. Steve Carell plays against type with his depressed college professor, without a hint of hyperbole or heavy-handedness. He’s a quickly rising star, and I haven’t seen him in a bad role yet. Greg Kinnear elicits hatred and bile as the father of the family. I don’t feel even an ounce of sympathy for him as his plans come crashing down, but I don’t think I’m supposed to. I feel much more connected to Alan Arkin’s character, the smack-sniffing grandpa. He’s foul-mouthed, hedonistic, and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks, but he demonstrates first the “family is all you’ve got” theme. Paul Dano uses one of an actor’s greatest tools in the first half of the movie to fantastic effect. After all, “no voice” can be a voice.
That leaves Abigail Breslin, who is nominated on her own for Best Supporting Actress. She really earns her nod, as she plays her character as a brilliant bright spot amidst the grungy dirt of the rest of the family. She could have easily given in to the grimness of the rest of her family, but she instead has a sunny disposition even in the face of tragedy, and Breslin has us rooting for her at the very start of the film. Even though she’s obviously physically imperfect, she was the most “pretty” of all the beauty pageant contestants.
Sadly, I don’t really think this will win Best Picture. As good as this movie made me feel when it was over, it’s hurt by the fact that what it has to say is not all that important, at least compared to the other nominees. But it does have a positive message, and great performances to boot; a film worthy of the label “Best Picture nominee.”
“Welcome to hell.”
“I’m madly in love with you! And it’s not because of your brains or your personality.”
“Again with the f***in’ chicken!”
Particle Man
6 comments:
I have to disagree with you Particle Man. I found the only Standout performance to be Steve Carrell, no one else impressed me that much. No one was bad but I think everyone else could have done better.
I also disagree with you on the statement that this movie deserves a Best Picture Nomination. It does not! The movie is not bad in anyway, but it definitely does not impact the viewer like a best picture nominee should, Like The Queen (review coming Thursday). It goes through its story and then it is doing without leaving me anything to mull over. There was no amazing symbolism to be interpreted. Things like that are essential in a Best Picture Nominee.
I am not saying that this movie is not good but I have a theory that the only reason Abigail Breslin received her nomination was because she was cute. If anyone from this movie should be nominated it should be Steve Carrell.
Hehe, ok, I have a series of things I'd like to disagree with. First, what SP says about the actors...Steve Carrell was fantastic, and while I wasn't a sold out on this film, I feel that Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano really, really delivered here. honestly, Breslin gave the most "real" child that I've ever seen in a film.
While I don't think Little Miss Sunshine deserves best picture, I also disagree that it leaves nothing to mull over. There is a powerful message in this movie, but it unfortunately has to do battle with the ridiculous plot twists for prominence.
In regards to PM's review, there are also two things I disagree with. 1) that functional families are rarer nowadays. Yes, the family dynamic looks different, but I don't think that we should look back on families in years past as "more functional." I won't go into detail here, but feel free to challenge me if you want.
2) The film didn't have anything important to say. I very much disagree. It spoke to the family unit, and its importance to each one of us. What is more important than that? Family is what teaches us and connects us. It's the breeding ground for our society. Whether your family is in tact or not, that's where we come from, and where we learn to live, for better or for worse. I think that what this movie said is incredibly important: that family is there regardless of what we want, and we have the choice to make the most of it, therefore improving each others lives, therefore improving the world in which we live.
But overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, and don't think it should get an Oscar. :)
let me rephrase my comment a little. it's not that this film has nothing important to say. it's just that the idea of "family is important," while completely relevant, is a message we've heard before in many other films. it doesn't have the real-world applicability that, say, The Queen does. and i didn't actually say Little Miss Sunshine had nothing important to say, only that what it had to say seemed of lesser import that other Best Pic nominees.
and the idea that Abigail Breslin got a Best Supporting Actress nomination just because she's cute is just ridiculous, SP. there are literally a hundred little girls way cuter than Breslin who didn't get a nod. look at Dakota Fanning.
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