Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
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A dysfunctional family travels in a yellow Volkswagen van to get their daughter to a beauty pageant.
The story
Sheryl Hoover, a stressed mother in Albuquerque, New Mexico, travels with her unconventional family—including her husband Richard, her brother Frank, and her brother-in-law's father Edwin—to get their daughter Olive to a beauty pageant in Redondo Beach, California. They travel in a dilapidated yellow Volkswagen van. As they navigate the road, the family deals with internal tensions and the mechanical failures of their vehicle. The journey serves as a catalyst for the family members to confront their personal struggles and find support in one another while facing the absurdity of their situation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The family travels from New Mexico to California in a yellow Volkswagen van. Along the way, Frank meets an ex-boyfriend, Richard loses a business contract, and Edwin suffers a drug overdose. After smuggling his body into the van, they reach the pageant. While other contestants perform polished routines, Olive performs a striptease-style dance she learned from Edwin. The audience is horrified, but the family joins her on stage in a show of solidarity. They are eventually released from the hotel and continue their journey home. During the trip, Dwayne discovers he is colorblind and can no longer become a pilot, leading him to break his vow of silence.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jonathan Dayton; Valerie Faris
- Writers
- Michael Arndt · writer
- Cast and characters
- Greg Kinnear · Richard; Steve Carell · Edwin; Toni Collette · Sheryl; Paul Dano · Dwayne; Abigail Breslin · Olive; Alan Arkin · Frank
- Genres
- tragicomedy; road film
- Themes
- family; depression; self-acceptance; finding meaning in absurd conditions
- Tone and mood
- tragicomedy; dark comedy
- Setting
- New Mexico and California, 2006
- Premise and plot tags
- road trip; beauty pageant; dysfunctional family
- Reception
- The film was a box office success and received critical praise for its performances, direction, screenplay, and humor.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · scale: percentage · review count: 218; Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: out of 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · 2007 · won; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · 2007 · won; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · 2007 · nominated; Screen Actors Guild Award · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture · 2007 · won; Producers Guild of America Award · Best Theatrical Motion Picture · 2007 · won; BAFTA Award · Best Screenplay · 2007 · won; BAFTA Award · Best Actor in a Supporting Role · 2007 · won; Deauville Film Festival · Grand Special Prize · won; Palm Springs International Film Festival · Chairman's Vanguard Award · won
- Production trivia
- The script was originally written for Bill Murray and Robin Williams.; The film's soundtrack was not eligible for Academy Award consideration due to the percentage of material derived from already written DeVotchKa songs.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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