My Grade: 5/5 Stars
At first, I did not want to see this movie. Someone else wanted to see it. I thought it would be another product of Hollywood, which is more addicted towards pumping out trashy movies infested with liberal cliches than Sean Penn is to bashing America. I was completely wrong about the movie (but still correct about Hollywood). After seeing the movie, I am glad I did. It is one of the few good and genuinely funny movies I have seen in awhile.
This movie has a misleading title. The title, “Little Miss Sunshine,” is a worthy sequel to “The Sound of Music” (1965). Not that there is anything wrong with “The Sound of Music,” but one is enough. “Little Miss Sunshine” is the complete opposite of the title’s innocent, perfect implications.
Right at the beginning of the movie, the movie introduces its six main characters: a chubby and myopic little girl aspiring to be Miss America, her teenage brother struggling with life (like most teenagers), her mother who is attempting to quit smoking and hold her family together, her father who is failing as a motivational speaker, her grandfather who is addicted to heroin, and her suicidal uncle.
I assure you, the movie is NOT a depressing drag to watch. The movie starts off a little bit humorous and builds up into a riot. The movie is a satire on the struggles of life, and it focuses on how the aforementioned six main characters deal with major disappointments in their unique, yet related lives.
Not surprisingly, this movie is rated R. It has foul language, very open dialogues about sex, strong references to sex, dark comedic elements, and some violence and mayhem.