Little Miss Sunshine

A dysfunctional family travels across the country for a beauty pageant

Little Miss Sunshine tells a somewhat dark, funny and ultimately heartwarming tale of a family. The family finds a lower rock bottom after another but ultimately comes out stronger than ever.

We are first introduced to Steve Carrell’s character, a homosexual Prost scholar who survived an attempt on his own life after he had misfortunes in his own personal life. He then becomes part of his sister’s family as his sister was adamant that he would not be alone. She is married to a self-help guru who is banking on getting a book published to keep the family financially afloat. They live with his grandfather who is a perverted, foul mouthed, yet warm hearted. They have 2 kids. One who aspires to be a pilot and has not said a word in 9 months and one who aspires to be a beauty pageant queen. This movie is all about the characters. Each character is unique and has certain quirks that allows for entertaining interactions and conflicts. It is with the conflicts that they then change and grow as people which can be seen as the main message of the movie. This is especially seen in the interaction between kid and Steve carrel: “Anyway, he, uh-he gets down to the end of his life... and he looks back and decides that all those years he suffered-Those were the best years of his life, 'cause they made him who he was. All the years he was happy? You know, total waste. Didn't learn a thing.”

I think this message is quite profound. In the moment of suffering itself, we tend to self-loathe or slip to depression. Yet it is upon reflection after, when we can look back and see how we have changed for the better. Of course, you do not learn / grow from suffering all the time, and some might argue that suffering has no meaning only ones that we craft for ourselves to say that it was for something, but I’d like to think that those of us who are self-aware and longing to improve can actually benefit from certain trying times.

Anyway, the movie is relatable in the sense that each character struggles with problems that are commonly seen in life, be it self-image / body issues, having your dreams crushed before you even start, having your dreams crushed along with potential bankruptcy of your family and stigma of homosexuality. My theory is that many have found solace in this film because it depicts many relatable characters at different stages of their lives going through problems many face and yet they ultimately come out of the film as more enlightened and more tightly-knit as a family. After all, if like most people, you watch a movie to escape, and the movie indirectly tells you that though life is hard, that you can still grow and be happy, how can one not enjoy that?

8/10