FINALLY , A RAY OF LIGHT!
Little Miss Sunshine rocks a summer filled with terrible films
BY LAUREN ALLEN

Fox Searchlight has just delivered what I believe to be the best movie of the year in Little Miss Sunshine. The film was fabulous from beginning to end, and when the credits rolled, I was sorry to see it go. When I was a little kid, if I found a movie that I loved, I could watch it again and again until I could pretty much repeat the dialog word for word. Little Miss Sunshine is just that kind of film. 

The movie tells the story of the Hoover family and their mission to get little 7-year-old Olive Hoover to California to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. To simply say that the Hoovers aren't your typical American family wouldn't come close to describing this bunch. Besides an overworked, overstressed Mom and Dad (Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear), they've also thrown in a heroin tooting grandfather, a homosexual and suicidal uncle, and a teenaged Nietzsche-worshiping son who is deeply entrenched in a vow of silence that he is maintaining until he can reach the Air Force Academy to become a fighter pilot. To top it all off, the Hoovers don't have much money, and the only way they can get everyone to California is to cram the entire family into a late model VW bus. 

A great deal of the movie actually takes place in and around the VW bus and this is where some of the funniest moments occur. But there is so much more to this film than humorous moments. The Hoover's story is one of lost dreams, broken hearts and finding the strength to carry on from the love of one's family.

The acting in this film is superb. Teenage son Dwayne, played by Paul Dano, spends the majority of the movie in silence. Yet, when he realizes that his dream of becoming a fighter pilot may be ruined, the audience absolutely felt his rage and anguish. 

For those of you who are fans of Steve Carrell (The Office and 40 Year Old Virgin), be prepared to see him in a whole new light. Our first glimpse of Uncle Frank finds him in the hospital recovering from a failed suicide attempt. The pain and sadness in his eyes is completely evident as his sister arrives to take him home to live with her and the rest of the Hoovers. The relationship that develops between Dwayne and Frank gives us some of the most poignant moments in the film.

Abigail Breslin as Little Olive Hoover is the best young actress I've seen since Quinn Cummings in the Goodbye Girl. Her hope and innocence are truly inspiring. The relationship she shares with her grandfather, played by Adam Arkin, proves to be the most delightful of all. His love and admiration for her is where she not only finds the strength and courage to go for her dream of becoming "Little Miss Sunshine," but she finally believes that she truly is beautiful not just on the outside, but the inside as well.

I guess one could describe Little Miss Sunshine as a feel-good movie, but it's so much more. For anyone who has ever felt awkward or out of place, this movie will be a treasure. The story, the acting and the way the entire ensemble just seems to click doesn't get any better than this. Anything short of Academy Award nominations all around would be a travesty. LW