POISON SCOOTER

Little Miss Sunshine

Well it took all summer, but finally a great movie found it's way to the dirty, dirty hot ass South. The critics darling and Sundance favorite opened today here in Georgia and based on buzz I had to make certain I saw it tonight. Since this is the South, I can't be sure that even with decent grosses nationwide that Little Miss Sunshine will play here very long. And boy, am I happy that I got a chance to see this one on the big screen.

The basic plot of this movie is simple enough. A little girl named Olive, who is pudgy and awkward, managed to get herself into a beauty pageant in California and as a result her extended family loads up the yellow VW bus and drives from New Mexico to the big show. The quintessential road movie ensues, complete with wacky happenings along the way, from car troubles to traffic stops by the cops.

However, the magic of the movie for me is in the performances, especially that of Alan Arkin as the cantankerous grandfather who has a potty mouth and a penchant for snorting heroin. I love, love, love to see actors strut their stuff in low budget indie fare because when it's not about the money the characters come to life so effortlessly for the actors. Greg Kinnear is better than he has been in a long while as a failed motivational speaker and Steve Carell shows that he is capable of more than just laughs, channeling some of that Robin Williams cross over ability, by playing way against type as a suicidal, gay Proust devotee/professor. Yep, you read that right.

The laughs are balanced quite well with some heavy stuff for the majority of the film, but the magnificent finale possesses enough laughs to call this movie a comedy. And the soundtrack, comprised of Sufjan Stevens, Rick James and DeVotchKa instrumentals, adds another layer of quirkiness to the whole experience. This film was a thoroughly enjoyable affair and I recommend you go see it immediately! Believe the hype!!!

posted by Scooter @ 9:23 PM