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Starring: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Marc Turtletaub, and Jill Talley

Directed By: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

What would Proust say about this movie? The answer

Mindless beauty and a Sweet death.

2006 had witnessed many indie films taking center stage. But one of the most talked about of all of them was Little Miss Sunshine. The film boasts of an inspirational soundtrack featuring Sufjan Stevens one of my favorites. His rendition of Chicago almost voices the movies adventures in a single song. The whole story of the film ignites from a singular scream (ok I’m exaggerating a little). This scream takes the movie to where it needs to go destination- Chicago. The film in itself championed the indie movies to come in the future. This paved the way for many crossover films.

The film tells us about a girl who dreams of becoming a beauty pageant queen with her own grit and self esteem. She manufactures her ideal with the help of her lovable grandfather played by Alan Arkin who makes an Oscar winning role out of this. The family gets a call from a beauty pageant for their daughter to participate in it as a last minute entry. But this journey is not an easy one. There are many hurdles the parents have to face before they can embark on the journey. The family is filled with eccentrics like the Proust loving gay uncle, Nietzschian brother who has taken a vow of silence and uplifting dad. All of these people hate each because of very silly ideologies.

The film makes a comment with the aid of a van to iron out these peoples differences. Hence allow their daughter to participate in the competition. Their minds begin to drift away from their ideals through the course of the journey. They are left with only one thought to make sure their daughter participates. She provides the catalyst for this change.

The film gives us a peek into the lives of these people by not sounding overly sentimental. This is one of the strengths of this film. It almost feels like the whole film is about the end. It is a total crowd pleaser and yet gives us a chance to see into our own lives. It leaves a very nice smile on peoples faces at the end of it. The film is not a mockery on the characters ideals. It gives their ideals ample space to breath within the duration of the film. The eccentrics of the characters are what give this movie its unparallel edge.