Little Miss Sunshine

Winner of 43 awards, including 2 Oscars, Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of a not-so-normal, okay completely dysfunctional, family, the Hoovers.

The Hoovers each live in their own little world. Sheryl (Toni Collette), the mother, is constantly under stress due to having to provide for the family, seeing as Richard (Greg Kinnear), the father's business idea is going nowhere. Frank (Steve Carrell), the uncle, attempts suicide after losing his job, his boyfriend and his credibility. Edwin (Alan Arkin), the grandfather, is forced to live with his son's new family after being kicked out of his retirement home for various 'misdemeanors'. Dwayne (Paul Dano), the teenage son, has taken a vow of silence until he achieves his dream, of joining the Air Force Academy. Last but not least, young Olive (Abigail Breslin) is the streak of innocence in what could be a very disturbed family.

Life in the Hoover house is very repetitive (“Again with the fucking chicken... It's always with the goddamn fucking chicken.”), very hassled, the Hoovers are very awkward around each other and everyone, bar Olive, notices it. This all changes when Olive receives a call from her aunt telling her she has been selected to participate in the national girls’ beauty pageant, Little Miss Sunshine. The family is forced to take a road trip, in the trademark yellow VW van, from their home in Albuquerque to the Redondo Suites hotel in California. The road trip is, let’s just day, far from boring. Many twists, from Olive being left by the side of the road, to the death of one of the family, keep you completely hooked. By the end of the movie, after the pageant, the each of the family’s true characters (and Dwayne’s voice) is revealed.

Each of the characters has their own defining features, like Frank and Richard’s constant arguments (“Sarcasm is losers trying to bring winners down to their level.” “Wow, Richard, you've really opened my eyes to what a loser I am. How much do I owe you for those pearls of wisdom?”) and Edwin’s astonishing ability to embarrass his grandson (“Fuck a lotta women, kid, I have no reason to lie to you. Not just one, a lotta women”). They also have their own special possessions, from Dwayne’s notepad that he uses to communicate, to Olive’s oversized headphones that block out the generally rudeness of the rest of her family, that help to bring the characters to life.The family are summed up in the one memorable line "Everyone, just pretend to be normal"

This is an amazingly movie about a family that is completely different to the perfect, polished faces that you may see in other, higher budget, movies. It manages to be sad, heart-warming, relatable and downright hilarious, all at the same time. I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone who wants a true comedy. I give it 10/10.