Kyle's Movie Review: "Little Miss Sunshine"

"I want to be an astronaut when I grow up." Every one of us, when we're children, wants to be larger than life. Kids often want to be famous athletes, rock stars, or even astronauts. It is, however, only a phase. We all eventually realize that such dreams are farfetched and most of us will live our lives in anonymity. "Little Miss Sunshine" tells the story of a family whose members are starting to realize that their dreams are out of reach. This disappointment does not send them into a spiral of self-pity, but it does compel the family to embark on a quest to fulfill the dreams of one little girl.

Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a father of two and a failing motivational speaker. Of course, the fact that he is in complete denial about his mediocrity makes his failures much more comedic. He pushes his two children to be their best, filling their growing minds with the idea that "quitters never win." His son, Dwayne, is an angst-ridden teenager who reads Nietzsche and has taken a vow of silence (he writes in a notebook to communicate) until he meets his goal of eventually enrolling in flight school.

The mom is a seemingly level-headed woman who tries to hold the family together while keeping their goals in reasonable perspective. Her brother, Frank (Steve Carrell) is recovering from a suicide attempt and is mandated to live with his sister's family. Frank is the leading Proust scholar in the world and is depressed because the grad student that he had fallen in love with left him for the number two Proust scholar in the world.

To top it all off, Richard's father (who is played marvelously by Alan Arkin) is a disgruntled senior citizen who is staying with the family, as he was kicked out of his retirement community for shooting heroin and having sex. The grandpa has found a new hobby, though. He is training Olive, the daughter, to compete in beauty pageants. The two practice dance routines, walks, and other odds and ends that must be mastered to compete in a junior beauty pageant.

When Olive gets the chance to compete in California's "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant, the family is reluctant to pick up and drive her. A few things hold Olive back. Olive is slightly overweight and wears glasses that vaguely resemble Coke bottles. The family realizes that it is unrealistic for her to win. It's funny how quickly the family can recognize impossibilities in Olive's goals while failing to realize their own faults. They all, begrudgingly, embark on a road trip in an antique VW bus to California.

Like any good dramedy, the family does have some serious issues. Richard is dealing with the ever more obvious realization that he is not very good at what he does. Frank is dealing with the rejection of being turned down by a lover. Dwayne also encounters a problem that crushes his dream. But this movie is about the journey, not the destination. As Dwayne, Frank, and Richard each come to terms with their failures, they make it their goal to help Olive succeed. They want to protect sweet, innocent Olive from the same disappointments of failure that each of them have experienced.

A Hilarious comedy that can very well put a tear in your eye, "Little Miss Sunshine" is rated R for language, some sex and drug content. Following the movie, Counseling Services will be providing a discussion analyzing the dysfunction seen in the fictitious family and how it ties to real life issues. "Little Miss Sunshine" is showing in the Science Center Friday night at 10 and Saturday night at 9.