Isabel Steinberg: Little Miss Sunshine

The hilariously funny, heartwarming film, Little Miss Sunshine, follows the lives of a rather dysfunctional family residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Richard Hoover, the father, is an unsuccessful motivational speaker who hopes his nine step self-help program will yield a book deal. Sheryl Hoover, the matriarch of the home, is a chainsmoker and working mother who frequently brings home fast food for dinner. Frank, Sheryl’s brother, is a homosexual and renowned scholar of Marcel Proust who attempted to commit suicide. Dwayne, Sheryl’s son, has taken a vow of silence and plans to be a jet pilot. Edwin, the grandfather, is addicted to heroin and was banned from a retirement home and Olive, Sheryl and Richard’s daughter, is a quirky seven year old who has a passion to win beauty pageants.

During one of the family dinners, after Sheryl picks up Frank from the hospital, Frank discusses his attempt at suicide over a love interest that left him for another academic scholar. Richard attempts to change the subject as he feels this isn’t an appropriate conversation for a seven year old. Olive changes the subject by talking about a beauty pageant routine she is working on with grandpa, Edwin. She talks about how she won second place in a regional contest. The phone rings and a message from Olive’s aunt is heard over the answering machine. Olive’s aunt informs the family that Olive now has a place in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant in California because the winner of Olive’s previous pageant forfeited her crown. Olive is immensely excited and starts screaming with joy. The family dinner is interrupted and while Olive is overcome by excitement the whole family discusses potential problems such as transportation and money in a heated debate. Finally, after many disputes, the whole family agrees to travel to Redondo Beach in their Volkswagen bus.

While on the bus, traveling to California, Grandpa Edwin talks about why he was kicked out of the retirement home- for using heroin. Grandpa continues his talk and addresses Dwayne about sex advice. Dwayne ignores him and continues reading his book. After stopping at a gas station, the bus begins to have problems. The clutch breaks and forces the family to push-start the bus whenever it is not parked on an incline. The bus is only the first of many problems to arise. At the gas station, Richard discovers that his book deal was not a success and Frank runs into his ex-lover and is humiliated. Frustrated and angry, the family returns to the bus and begins driving only to realize that they left Olive behind.

A few hours later, the family checks into a motel. Olive is nervous about the pageant tomorrow and confides in grandpa Edwin. Her grandfather reassures her that she is beautiful inside and out. In the room over, Sheryl and Richard fight about the book deal that was unsuccessful. Richard is determined to get the deal and he drives to Scottsdale to talk to his partner in the deal. Richard again is unsuccessful and returns to the motel.

The next morning, a concerned Olive informs her parents that grandpa won’t wake up. The family immediately goes to the hospital but it’s too late. Edwin died in his sleep from a heroin overdose. Upon hearing the news the family is perplexed by grief. Furthermore, the paperwork they are asked to complete will delay their stay and force Olive to miss the beauty pageant- the whole mission of the trip. Richard is determined to honor his father’s memory and knows that his father would have wanted to be there for Olive while she participates in her pageant. So, without wasting a minute, the family smuggles grandpa Edwin into their van. After hitting the road, with dead grandpa in the back, the horn on the bus breaks down and will not stop honking. After getting pulled over by a police officer, due to the honking, the family believes the worst. The officer checks the back of the van and is quickly distracted by grandpa’s porn magazines that fall out of the van. Not suspecting a thing, the officer lets the family go.

After the incident with the police officer the family believes the worst is over. They are almost to Redondo Beach where the pageant will be held and Olive is beginning to feel excited. Olive decides to give Dwayne and eye exam from a form that she picked up at the hospital and it is determined by Frank that Dwayne is colorblind. Realizing that he can’t fly jet planes if he is colorblind, Dwayne begins to have a mental breakdown. Richard stops the bus and Dwayne runs out screaming with anger and insults the family with crude words in the process. Dwayne is at first reluctant to get back on the bus but Olive gives him a sympathetic hug and Dwayne returns to the bus.

Now the family is pressed for time. They find the Redondo beach site but are not sure how to pull in and issues with parking arise. Upon “parking” or rather pulling up to the site, the family frantically departs the vehicle with grandpa still in the back, dead. They make it to the sign-up table only to discover that they are a mere four minutes late. An uptight pageant lady refuses to let Olive check in, claiming that the family missed the check in time. Seeing the families worrisome faces, an employee adds Olive to the list of participants in the pageant. Olive and Sheryl head to the dressing room to get Olive changed and ready for the pageant. Meanwhile, Richard finds a funeral service to take Edwin’s body. Richard is sad and says goodbye to his father. Dwayne and Frank, not fond of the pageant setting, go outside to the pier. After breaking his vow of silence, Dwayne is now speaking again and confides in uncle Frank about the stress of being a teenager. Frank gives Dwayne advice.

The pageant begins and Richard becomes nervous for Olive. He knows she won’t fit in with the other pageant girls who are wearing spray tans and an abundant amount of makeup. Dwayne is also worried and Richard and Dwayne both go back stage to alert Sheryl of their concern. But Sheryl doesn’t agree with their narrow point of view. She wants her daughter to be herself and if Olive loves competing in beauty pageants then let Olive compete. This scene is an important tribute to self-confidence and the importance of being who you are, even if that means being an outsider.

Now on stage, Olive is ready to perform. She wears a black suit and top hat. Before beginning her act, she dedicates her performance to her late grandfather who choreographed the dance. The rest of the family has not seen the routine and is unprepared for what will occur next. Olive starts dancing and it is quickly gathered that the routine is a “strip-tease”. Innocent Olive is unaware of the inappropriate meaning of her performance and dances away with passion. The audience is astonished and disgusted, but the family cheers Olive on. The pageant lady wants Olive off the stage and the presenter attempts to grab Olive, but Richard runs up and starts chasing the presenter, not letting him near Olive. At this time, Richard is asked to remove Olive from the stage, but instead he begins dancing alongside her. Olive’s mother, brother, and uncle follow and all are dancing on stage. After finishing the number, they are all joyful and gasping for breathe. Moments later, the family is confronted by the police and they are free to go as long as Olive never participates in a beauty pageant in the state of California ever again.

As a result of the trip the family has bonded and each one of the characters has become more confident in their own personalities. Happy and care-free, the family push-starts the van and they all get in. The film closes with the Hoovers driving off into the sunset ready to return home.

Five Words: Melodrama, Heartwarming, Confidence, Innocent, Comical

This film is a melodrama and tells the heartwarming story of how a dysfunctional family bonds and gains confidence through each other, all while taking the innocent Olive to compete in a beauty pageant that yields pitfalls and comical results along the way.