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    Little Miss Sunshine Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris Cast: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano

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    • DVD Release Date: 10/13/2009
    • Original Release: 2006
    • Rating: Rated R

    Viewer Rating: (53 ratings)

    Detailed Rating: "Emotional" See All

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    DVD - Wide Screen$13.49
    Blu-ray - Wide Screen / Subtitled / Dubbed$27.99
     
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    Editorial Reviews

    Arguably the box-office sleeper of 2006, Little Miss Sunshine finds its big laughs by zeroing in on one of the most engaging dysfunctional families ever brought to the screen. At seven years of age, preternaturally ambitious Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) is fixated on beauty contests, and she's elated when she qualifies to enter one. For a variety of reasons, getting to the pageant site promises to be a Herculean task the family reluctantly undertakes: Usually optimistic dad Richard (Greg Kinnear) is in the dumps due to business woes; seriously depressed uncle Frank (Steve Carell) is recovering from a suicide attempt; chronically angry brother Dwayne (Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence; generally supportive mom Sheryl (Toni Collette) worries that Olive is setting herself up for a crushing disappointment; and foul-mouthed grandpa Edwin has a bit of a drug problem. Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris lavish their attention on the road trip -- a lengthy, obstacle-filled journey that tests the Hoovers and ultimately unites the family behind its youngest member. What makes this modest masterpiece outshine similarly plotted films like National Lampoon’s Vacation is its emphasis on character rather than gags. The acting is of uniformly high caliber, with Carell a standout as a Proust scholar whose reputation and relationship have simultaneously gone down the drain; his is a carefully calibrated and restrained performance. Blending its bite with brains and heart, Little Miss Sunshine comes out a winner. Ed Hulse, Barnes & Noble

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    Customer Reviews

    Overhypedby Anonymous

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    December 28, 2007: It was just ok. The acting was great, but would you give a 5 star rating to a product where an actor was considered the best Ronald Mcdonald character ever seen? No. The story was rather bland and had only two, maybe three laughs. Might as well watch reality tv, it's about as interesting as those shows. Pretty depressing feel to the film on top of it.

    This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.

    I love this film.by Anonymous

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    October 24, 2007: Little Miss Sunshine is the Oscar-nominated comedy starring Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, and Alan Arkin. It’s the American family road-trip movie for the current generation. There was a lot of hype last year about this little-movie-that-could, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and none of it was undeserved. Now on DVD, this film never ceases to entertain and delight. The eccentric Hoover family from Alberqueque rallies around their awkward young daughter, Olive, who has been invited to compete in the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant in California. Mom, Dad, daughter and son, along with Grandpa and Uncle pile into their old yellow VW bus, which has seen better days, and go off to help Olive chase her dream of being a beauty queen. The cast is an impeccable ensemble of Hollywood’s relative newcomers and veterans, and legend-in-the-making Steve Carell, steals several scenes as Uncle Frank, the suicidal, homosexual Proust scholar. Young Abigail Breslin really shines, though, and even earned an Oscar nod for her unforgettable performance. Little Miss Sunshine seems mildly humorous, with spots of black humor and somber heart-warming moments, for the first three quarters of the film. Then suddenly, without warning, it is uproariously funny, and stays that way until it fades to black. When the film was first released to theaters, the audience would invariably be falling out of their seats, crying and laughing, as little Miss Breslin performed her “talent” in the pageant. It truly is charming and warm and you do really fall in love with the characters, but the film offers so much more than just family dysfunction. It’s also a sharp satire of child beauty pageants. The last scene, at the pageant, is the funniest scene in any film released last year. The only thing that drags this little gem of a film down is the writing, and even that is easily overlooked. But something about the way writer Michael Arndt set up each character for a rise and fall came off as a little cheesy. It seemed just a little too much, especially when Dwayne, played by Paul Dano, found out he was color-blind. In the end, though, fifteen minutes into the film later, all is forgotten, dissolved into hysterical laughter. Little Miss Sunshine walks the delicate line of dark humor and family comedy with such precision and passion. It’s impossible to watch this film and not love it. The DVD includes four alternate endings and director commentary, and the film is just as good on the second, third and fourth viewings, as it was on the first.

    This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.


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