**** - If there is anything in this nation that more epitomizes its obsession with superficiality and vapidity than little girl beauty pageants I have yet to become aware of it. This low-key comedy pushes all the right buttons in its portrayal of the ludicrousness and horrifying glitz that is the beauty pageant, and throws in a nice skewering of self-help motivational speakers for good measure. The plot – a family’s journey to California for their daughter’s entry into the Little Miss Sunshine contest - sells the film short of what it is, as it is much more than it seems from its description. The variety of quirky, offbeat and funny characters are very well defined and played to a tee by all of the actors, with Alan Arkin as the foul-mouthed (“always with the fucking chicken!”) grandfather and Steve Carell as the depressed homosexual brother/uncle being especially good. The score by underrated band DeVotchka was outstanding and added a great deal to an already very enjoyable film, while also giving it a sort of Wes Anderson-esque feel. The beauty pageant at the end was funny and all in its satire and mockery, but it was still a beauty pageant at its core and, therefore, extremely difficult to watch. The second half lost a little steam, too, with the absence of the Alan Arkin character, but it’s still a great movie overall.
Little Miss Sunshine
**** - If there is anything in this nation that more epitomizes its obsession with superficiality and vapidity than little girl beauty pageants I have yet to become aware of it. This low-key comedy pushes all the right buttons in its portrayal of the ludicrousness and horrifying glitz that is the beauty pageant, and throws in a nice skewering of self-help motivational speakers for good measure. The plot – a family’s journey to California for their daughter’s entry into the Little Miss Sunshine contest - sells the film short of what it is, as it is much more than it seems from its description. The variety of quirky, offbeat and funny characters are very well defined and played to a tee by all of the actors, with Alan Arkin as the foul-mouthed (“always with the fucking chicken!”) grandfather and Steve Carell as the depressed homosexual brother/uncle being especially good. The score by underrated band DeVotchka was outstanding and added a great deal to an already very enjoyable film, while also giving it a sort of Wes Anderson-esque feel. The beauty pageant at the end was funny and all in its satire and mockery, but it was still a beauty pageant at its core and, therefore, extremely difficult to watch. The second half lost a little steam, too, with the absence of the Alan Arkin character, but it’s still a great movie overall.
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