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Little Miss Sunshine: It's Super Freaky

A Movie Review by Rebecca Gagne '08

If watching a potty-mouth, drug-snorting, fanny-pack carrying grandpa giving advice about romance doesn't spark your interest, then maybe a movie about family support will. This unpredictable plot of odd family behavior leads to an interesting, exciting, realistic, dramatic comedy. The family values are as freaky as the characters themselves.

Little Miss Sunshine is almost packed with more queer hilarity than one person can take. From the motivational speaking father without a clue (or a following), to the exotic dancing daughter who has dreams of being Miss America, to the other family members who are as freaky as they are funny, the movie lends to great entertainment. The trip in the family's VW bus to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant shows how the strongest of bonds are built. In their quest to get to the pageant, the family leaves no one behind, no matter what.

On the way from Albuquerque to sunny southern California the VW bus breaks down. The family pulls together to get it up and running again. Their antics in getting the bus running are part of the family's own unique strategy. The drama that enfolds along the way to the beauty pageant is both tragic and comic, and outrageously funny. The family deals with the tragedy in a way that your tears are turned to laughter.

The young son, Dwayne, has a self-imposed vow of silence. He speaks to people via paper and pen. He learns his goal of attending the Air Force Academy is unattainable because he learns he is color blind. What follows after this revelation is unlike any reaction that one would expect.

The young girl, Olive, gives the performance of a lifetime to the song, Super Freak. Her grandpa believed she was beautiful and she dedicates her performance to him. The "beauty" contest reveals that sometimes beauty is artificial and all that matters is the strength, love, dedication, and support of family, despite their eccentricities.

I recommend Little Miss Sunshine for anyone who believes their family is dysfunctional. The family in Little Miss Sunshine appears dysfunctional, but is committed to each other. Their strangeness is their bond.