"Little Miss Sunshine" is one of those out-of-the-blue gems you don't see coming and couldn't have made up. The setup is familiar: on the road with a dysfunctional family. But directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (a husband-wife team famous for music videos) aren't thinking "RV" or Chevy Chase. They're aiming more for the complex humor and bittersweet tone of the Thanksgiving-themed "Pieces of April." Their film isn't quite as good — a miscalculation at the very end knocks it down a notch — but it offers a similarly rich ensemble cast and character-driven comedy. Read the full review
The Hoover family treks from Albuquerque to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California to fulfill the deepest wish of 7-year-old Olive, an ordinary little girl with big dreams. Along the way they must deal with heartbreaks, crushed dreams and a broken-down VW bus — and learn to trust and support each other, no matter what the challenge.
Directors: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
Cast: Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin
Run time: 99 minutes
Release date: July 26, 2006
Rating: R for language, some sex and drug content.
See showtimes
Meet the directors
This low-budget indie was a movie directing debut for the husband-and-wife team.
On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require
Quicktime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B+
"... the sleeper hit of the summer."
Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"It won't enter the quirktastic-voyage hall of fame, but it's a refreshing ride nonetheless."
The Associated Press: A-
"(Abigail Breslin) is a joy to watch, as warm and bright as the pageant title her character covets."
The Palm Beach Post: A-
"... a laugh-out-loud winner."
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