Little Miss Sunshine

I have been waiting to see Little Miss Sunshine since at least January when it went to Sundance, although I believe I heard some things about it before that. Typically when I wait that long to see a particular movie, the anticipation is so great that the movie never lives up to my expectations. That was certainly not the case with Little Miss Sunshine. Go see it. I have not laughed this much at a movie since...I do not remember ever laughing this much at a movie. My face was actually a little tired from the laughing/smiling it had to endure.

A brief synopsis: Olive, a six year old girl who does not have a typical beauty queen look, is going to participate in a beauty contest called Little Miss Sunshine. The entire family goes along with her, driving from New Mexico to California in their VW bus. The family consists of her parents (Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette), her grandfather (Alan Arkin, who is her pageant routine coach), her brother (who has taken a vow of silence), and her uncle, played by the always funny Steve Carell. Each of these characters has their own problems, but each is also funny in their own way. The brother, played by Paul Dano is extremely funny, which is difficult to do as an actor when you aren't saying any words.

The movie is part road trip movie, part (intelligent) family comedy, and part something else that is hard to describe, as it is what makes this film unique. I would say more, but in my typical fashion, I believe the less you know ahead of time, the better.