It provides some of thee best performances in film hiistory, Little Miss Sunshine is fun to watch not only as a crazy family comedy but also as a serious and thoughtful drama as well.

Little Miss Sunshine transcends the family road movie, and though it feels a little incomplete when the end roles around, we still had a great time all the way through.

A pleasant film that is not as good as everybody says. There is nothing wrong with the film, but to say it is worthy of a best picture nominee is a stretch. How the hell did that old guy win best supporting actor.

Absolutely brilliant. These are the sort of films that should always be made, feel good and heart-warming. We start with a family torn apart but by the end, brought together by their daughter, Abigail Breslin. Breslin is brilliant at embodying the feeling of childhood and how at that age we all have a dream. Alan Arkin is even better, gibing a short but memorable performance as the heroine taking grandfather, every scene he steals with his kind but foul mouthed ways. Steve Carrell gives a performance also which should have given him an Oscar nod. But, the best part of this film is the script, not many films have a script that give a sense of realism and humour (the scenes where the family push the van our by far the best), and give a chance for all actors to shine. It is such a simplistic formula, but the writers take advantage by adding side stories and real depths to these characters so it feel like they themselves our telling the story as if we know them. The movie as a whole is superb with at the most one flaw, everything just seems to work perfectly and put all the good things you need in a film together what do you get? Little Miss Sunshine.… Expand

Absolutely brilliant. These are the sort of films that should always be made, feel good and heart warming. We start with a family torn apart but by the end, brought together by there daughter, Abigail Breslin. breslin is brilliant at emboding the feeling of childhood and how at that age we all have a dream. Alan Arkin is even better, gibing a short but memorable performance as the heroine taking grandfather, every scene he steals with his kind but foul mouthed ways. Steve Carrell gives a performance also which should hve guven him an oscar nod. But, the best part of this film is the script, not many films have a script that give a sense of realism and humour (the scenes where the family push the van our by far the best), and give a chance for all actors to shine. It is such a simplistic formula, but the writers take advantage by adding side stories and real depths to these characters so it feel like they themselves our telling the story as if we know them. The movie as a whole is superb with at the most one flaw, everything just seems to work perfectly and put all the good things you need in a film together what do you get? Little Miss Sunshine.… Expand

This film was an excellent treat. The cast was superb, with strong performances from the youngest to the smallest Hoover. The movie offered up tear-jerking moments galore, but the humor never failed to peak through. The balance was just right to present a truly entertaining movie that still provided a deeply engaging human element.

It should be called a little piece of garbage. The characters are unappealing and classless add on top they were annoying. No idea why the grandfather won supporting actor. The story wasn't interesting at all and wasn't funny.

Little Miss Sunshine is one of those movies that you could keep watching over and over again and not get bored. It's an Heart Felt movie about the importance of "family together can beat the odds". It delivers brilliant performances by Alan Arkin, Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and little Abigail Breslin. Toni Collette is the mother who holds the whole family together, and Paul Dano delivers a solid performance as the Color-Blinded Dwayne who dreams of becoming a jet pilot. It's a shame that many don't like it, but it's definitely a 'Solid A' Movie which is beautifully directed.… Expand

it's a classic. It's a refreshing movie with good actosr. It's a dark in some ways but you feel good after seing it. The atmosphere, the colors are perfect. Jason Reitman made one of his best movie with '' Little Miss sushine '' .

story is just awesome
direction=no complex..simply go on according the story
message is just fantastic...learnable comedy with laughs.
so i like it
i like it
i like it
v
i like it
i like it
i like it

i like it

i like it

Little Miss Sunshine revels in the fact its cleverer than you are and that is not an insult. This highly intelligent black comedy is so fast paced, hilarious and bizarre that not only will you laugh pretty much the entire 90 minutes but you will struggle to keep up. The story tells the tale of Olive (Abigail Breslin) who has qualified for a beauty pageant in California so her parents (Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette) decide to go on a trip in their old camper van across the country. They are joined by Oliveâ… Expand

The journey of a dysfunctional family to their youngest child stardom leads us into a satirical, poignant and really funny adventure.

"Little Miss Sunshine" is a heart-warm movie. It's well written script delivers that supporting each other as a family, everything is possible. And yes, it is one of the best movies of the year.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is an independent film, humorous in its own dark little way. Though the film comes across mostly a drama, it has its funny moments, and all of the humor is either subtle, clever, depressing, or a combination of the three. Though Steve Carrell, now known for his wittingly hilarious role in TV's comedy THE OFFICE, appears as one of the more major characters, Alan Arkin (if any cast member) seems to be the one who draws the most audience laughs. In fact, Carrell delivers most likely the least humorous role. Though he does definitely still have his humor, with a big nod to the scene at the dinner table near the beginning. Other than that, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is a heartwarming, sometimes weepy, and ultimately feel-good film. I highly doubt there has been one road movie as good and unpredictable as this since NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION.… Expand

At heart of such a familiar story are characters that shine above their own archetypal conception. The progression of the narrative is fluid enough, but the performances ensure the films distinction. The characters would not be believable, or nearly as compelling, were it not for their unwitting dependence on one another. The family is mutually deceiving, but each with the best of intentions. Road trip films are nearly classified as there own genre with such a distinctive structure and pay off. Comedian, Mitch Hedberg said, Im sick of following my dreams. I am just going to ask where they are going and meet up with them later. In Little Miss Sunshine, dreams both guide and antagonize the six people trapped in the yellow VW bus.

A lack of control haunts the actions of the family. In one of the more focused scenes in the film, the son Dwaye, played aptly by Paul Dano, acknowledges his own limitations with poignant vocalization. Dwayne craves autonomy more than any other in the film and is grounded by a new found genetic disadvantage. In attempting to blame his family, from afar, it only provokes his sister closer. She is unaffected by his sentiments because his true nature contrasts the outburst in her mind. It is her intimate knowledge of Dwayne that enables the film to move on.

In this sense, the movie can be viewed as an interpersonal puzzle. Alone, each character is indistinguishable of something whole. It is only when pushing on together that they get anywhere. The goals of each individual become dwarfed by the sense of unity birthed from their 800 mile adventure. Significantly, it is young Olives naive hope to be Little Miss Sunshine that creates a consciously shared and cherished moment between all characters, dead and alive. Olives determination destroys her fathers notion of winners and losers. Surrounded by people in denial about themselves, Olive embraces the contradictions, consequently providing a metaphoric mirror for the rest.

The film celebrates failure. Within the winning film, are desperate losers. Steve Carells, Uncle Frank, discusses the necessity of suffering. Being introduced to him after a failed suicide attempt, Franks words seem genuine despite their irony. The diverse talent of Carell is most acutely witnessed as he reacquaints himself with the family at the dinner table. The intrusion of Frank into his sisters family plays as a blessing in a family needing of fresh, albeit fatalistic, perspective.

Little Miss Sunshine depicts family as an undefinable ideal. The movie grows much the way a family does; not often in expected directions, but forever adapting to inevitable change. It isnt until the family sees the path they have taken, before they realize they have a home to return.… Expand

Abigail Breslin is pitch-perfect as the eternal optimist in a family that's almost completely messed up. Anyone could enjoy the film simply based on her performance.

While it's obvious many people feel this movie succeeds in its humorous antics, I can only find myself cringing. This is one of those films that's all about personal taste, my palete having grown accustomed to a decidedly different sort of entertainment. I can say with certainty, however, that awarding it with Best Picture would have been similar to awarding the Nobel Prize to the individual who invented the Slap Chop: both amusing and utterly ridiculous.… Expand

I am amazed by some of the reviews here. If anyone here trusts user-submitted reviews, I beg you you to ignore any that are full of finger-shaking hyperbole and excessive use of first-year university words. This film is heartwarming, funny and charming. It's one of the few films I will watch when I want to be cheered up. It's Disney for tax-payers.

Although the movie has some good points, there was too much shouting, and the ending was very poor.

Epic Film! Pretty funny considering the characters are all like sad!

I mainly love this movie because of the ending. Besides the characters (and the kind of chilled, anticute atmosphere) it's actually pretty much like any other comedy/drama all the way through the movie. But in the end, it just changes - and instead of just being a fairly entertaining movie, it ends up having a great message. Greater than most messages in movies nowadays.

I loved this movie. A simple message effectively delivered. If you like REAL families then you'll love these people.

Some people think they are good critics like Tania and especially Jasper below because they vomit their extended vocabulary on to the computer screen, but they're not. Simply because it is easy to determine a character's personality or psychological state does not mean they are one dimensional or cliched. Acting, cinematography, music, direction in general is all great. Most normal people like this film.… Expand

This film captures everything a family's about. Dysfunctional and sometimes very strange but always honest. I feel sorry for you if you can't enjoy this film, it's the best light hearted comedy I've seen in years. Especially since it came out of America.

Wonderful film and good film. I have not seen film like this. I liked Olive very much.

This is my all-time favorite movie. The acting is great, the storyline is touching and hilarious, and the characters are hilarious though realistic. Yes, you might not find a family like this in the real world, but it's a MOVIE. And a great one at that.

Mystifyingly bad. Oh, how I wanted to like it. Cliched characters assembled on a screenwriters factory line, with nary a breath of life in them (save Breslin, lovable without ever being cloying), a plot creakingly contrived from start to finish. Not one moment of this film rang true (ok, one - the sweet scene where Alan Arkin's 'foulmouthed grandpa' - i imagine this is what he was dubbed in the screenplay - assures Breslin's wannabe beauty queen that she is beautiful. Really - and this is the film at its most touching.), nevermind tickled the funny bone. Replete with gaping holes in character motivation/ development you could drive a truck through (the son wants to be a fighter pilot, so he took a vow of silence. This leads us conveniently to 'funny,' furious scribbling in a notepad, ' i hate everyone'. Teenage angst has never been so subtle!). Even the supposedly laugh-out loud finale felt heavy-handed and like a desperate, mean, and inexplicable ploy for laughs. Finally, it just felt so slight - at film's end, a great big shrug is all I could muster.… Expand

There was little humor in this film, in my opinion. I'm all for suspending some disbelief, but how did the daughter's "talent presentation" qualify her for some regional pageant? And how am I supposed to warm up to a family where the parents are so unbelievably (literal use here--I couldn't believe it for a second) that they left her in the hands of the vulgar and inappropriate grandfather, or that they failed to shut the old coot up or even react to his profane rants? If that's a "best picture" candidate, somebody hand me a novel -- quick.… Expand

That was a pretty bad movie. Humor is overly camp and it was a waste of time. Straightforward and predictable, I am surprised they even got nominated for any awards.

It was a great feel-good film that has that amazing indie-movie feeling.

Watching this movie is the cinematic equivalent of spend 100 minutes with the most irritating people on Earth. The humor is overly camp and the gimmicks are lowbrow and extraordinarily unentertaining.

Wow. I'm stunned. Every once in a while a movie comes along that is jaw-droppingly horrible to the point that it leaves your mouth hanging open. I lack sufficient terms to express how trite and repellent I find this simpering movie. It's an exhausted "human spirit" movie so cloying that it needs to be taken off life support. From the first time I saw the TV commercial which featured the hackneyed ruse of getting the whole family in one vehicle for the duration of a movie, I suspected the script would have difficulty making that premise believable. It certainly fails there, but that's the least of its problems. But still, the wealth of good reviews drew me to buy a ticket. My initial reservations were right. This script is an inept piece of garbage long before you evaluate it on moral grounds, where it collapses spectacularly. The family here is a mix of characters so drippy and dense that they never realize their dumpy, uncoordinated, bespectacled daughter isn't the Junior Miss type. It takes them exactly one pageant (following a needless cross country trip) to figure that out. The same family doesn't realize that a heroin-snorting, horndog grandfather shouldn't be the one teaching their adolescent daughter her beauty pageant dance number. Why not go all the way and include a "funny scene" of grandpa molesting her? The setup is practically there; a scene so distasteful feels like it's just off-screen (or on the cutting room floor) in this wholly objectionable movie. Long after a ridiculously unbelievable "chance meeting" in a gas station, long after paper-deep villains have been thrown at the screen, long after the annoying Murphy's Law plot line is exhausted, comes the most sick, saccharine, crappy moment in all of film history which involves a family attempting to redeem their seven-year old daughters failed, inappropriate talent routine (a strip tease) by joining her on stage. Sexualizing a seven year old girl without her being developmentally able to understand it... mmm, that's comedy gold. This "edgy material" is about as palatable as a cup of bleach. I'm not one to look for messages but here we've got something like "Let's all support each other as we swim up the cr*p river of life!" I'm sure it's supporters think I've missed the point and that the humor is just dark. It's not dark. Making a dark comedy is an art. This comedy has no edge in it's delivery. It's filmed straight. It's acted and presented ineptly. It's about as edgy as a smutty episode of Seventh Heaven. This is the rotten family-values homily to end them all. Drawing big saccharine payoffs to support a family values theme also places this squarely in mainstream whitebread entertainment. It makes perfect sense that idiotic Hollywood would nominate this tripe for a bunch of Oscars, but I can't believe I respect people who like this atrocity. The Oscars have become so gratingly self-impressed, and the nominees so limp, that all you can really do anymore is root against films you don't want to have any further influence on the culture. I am so glad it lost the Best Picture award ; Now it starts a long descent to the bottom of time's toilet, exactly where it belongs, where it will be forgotten.… Expand

Michael Arndt's screenplay for the stellar comedy Little Miss Sunshine is tightly constructed, and full of the kinds of characters talented actors kill to portray a pudgy, bespectacled seven-year-old, Olive (Abigail Breslin), voices her desire to take home the coveted Little Miss Sunshine crown at an upcoming beauty pageant, her wildly dysfunctional family sets out on an interstate road trip to ensure her a clear shot at realizing her dreams in former music video directorial team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' quirky feature debut, starring Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, and Toni Collette. Despite early career success as an outspoken motivational speaker, family patriarch Richard (Kinnear) continues to cling to his "Refuse to Lose" philosophy, much to the chagrin of his increasingly annoyed spouse, Sheryl (Collette). Add into the mix a Nietzsche-reading teenage son (Paul Dano) who has taken a vow of silence until he finds his fate as a fighter pilot; a horny, heroin-happy grandfather (Alan Arkin) with a penchant for creative profanity; and a suicidal genius (Carell) and Proust scholar still reeling about losing both his male lover and his MacArthur Foundation genius grant -- and the stage is set for a road trip in which sanity is sure to take the back seat. All of the characters and themes are economically but patiently set up in a funny 20-minute dinner sequence that opens the movie. Throughout the film, characters perform what seem to be throwaway actions that actually pay off later in the film. The fact that first-time directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris know when to keep the story moving and when to slow down for the first-rate character stuff helps make it one of the great debuts of the year. However, it is the actors who make Little Miss Sunshine one of the best films of 2006. These characters, from the suicidal Proust scholar to the heroin-addicted grandfather to the silent, sullen teenager to the failed motivational speaker (a comedy concept worthy of an award in and of itself), could all be played so grandly that the film would collapse. However, everybody stays on the same page emotionally, making them seem like a real family and like real individuals. About a third of the way into Little Miss Sunshine, Steve Carell and Alan Arkin play a simple scene in which Arkin's character makes a frank request that gets a laugh from Carell's character. The scene is unusual because very rarely does anyone actually laugh onscreen in a comedy. Carell's laugh feels utterly genuine and entirely in character, making the conversation one of the moments that best exemplifies the humanism and the humor in the thoroughly entertaining Little Miss Sunshine.… Expand

While this movie does have flaws, they are not enough to compensate for the 7.4 this movie earns under User Score. This movie is dry, amusing, inane yet endearing, and just plain fun. I do not know a single person who disliked this film, and the conclusion is genuinely funny, heartwarming, and moving. The main criticism users seem to have for this movie was that it was nominated while their favorite movies weren't. Please, if you like a movie, then comment on it as opposed to ranting about your (generally wrong) opinions up here. This movie is a rewarding experience, and well worth the price of either a DVD rental or a theater ticket. In the future, let's please leave the Oscar nominating up to the professionals.… Expand

What a refreshing burst of fresh air in the comedy/drama genre. There is not a moment in this movie where the comedy seems forced or the acting overdone. Every ridiculously funny part of this movie is completely believable. Even the script is written and delivered in that rough unpolished way that makes you think these are 'real' people and we are a fly on the wall in there insane lives. Everyone involved in this movie deserves a very big pat on the back. We need more real comedies like this.… Expand

Little Miss Sunshine just wasn't funny enough to compensate for its straightforward, predictable plot. The only redeeming quality of this film was that the character development was well done. Basically, I am amazed that this movie got a nomination for best picture.

Little Miss Sunshine is a dry, slow movie that reaches for quirky and only manages to grab on to pain. In fact, this movie seems to be about how unfair life is and if we all go on stage and show up all the stuck up people that we can dance like a stripper, then we have made something of ourselves. This movie isn't different, its just a complete rehash of old screwball comedy. It wants to find humor in the awkward but comes up with nothing short of inane. The characters are all unlikable, except the two children, and this seems to be done purposely as if to show the old idea of ignorance being bliss. Its situations are terribly staged, and the only thing that works is that the actors all can act. But that does not matter because the characters they're playing are flat and shallow. Sure its trying be true to our world full of social decay, but who cares if all your characters do is decay more(one actually quite literally). This movie gets nominated for best picture while a movie like Children of Men is forgotten.… Expand

Wonderful movie. I have never laughed so hard at an ending in my life :) This film gives you a warm fuzzy feeling in your stomach: it truly makes you happy inside, even though there are some moments which get you grabbing the tissues. Great humour.

Um good job jess calling a little kid fat. your real nice. i thought this movie was awesome. i believe the people who are looking for genius in the camera or technical things are missing out on why this movie is so great. it gives you a feeling of happiness. isn't that what movie are about? how they make you feel when you stop watching them. I loved it and i think the characters were amazing.… Expand

'Little Miss Sunshine' is the kind of movie that sticks with you long after it

Some great acting accompanies a good script with some awesome characters. Only let downs are the predictable nature of the plot, and the cliche ending. That said, it gives you the warm fuzzys you don't expect; there's a bit of everyone's family in this movie.

Charming, with lots of genuine laughs.

Perfect balance of insight, character and humor.

It's rubbish, nothing about it is funny, its just 6 losers with sad boring lives, even when i think about them it makes me depressed. the characters are shallow and the individuals stories are boring and the me against the world attitude of this film is a big steaming pile of the brown stuff!!

i hate this movie. wow, the family is a bunch of fucked-up losers! they have quirks! how HONEST and REAL. how about trite? plus, the message of the film lacked any subtlety or nuance, a staple of today's lackluster cinema. it's just in-your-face, film-as-prozac film-making at it's... best? yes, the girl is very cute and does an excellent job in her role. but i especially hated alan arkin's performance and character. ooh, this grandpa is so badass, he doesn't give a fuck, and he curses and talks about having sex and shoots smack. that's really hilarious and profound. i am not surprised that mr. arkin won an oscar because his role is typical academy fodder: bullshit. it reminds me of why i also hated american beauty. suburban angst, nuclear family dysfunction, broken (american) dreams... that's all fine subject matter, but if that's your interest, you're better off seeing Little Children or Happiness, because little miss sunshine, like crash, affects genuine feeling, but, really, just bashes your skull in with its cloying sentimentality.… Expand

Heartfelt, satirical and entertaining movie. a masterpiece, no, but it has worth from the dialogue, timing and developed characters. worth seeing but not something to completely wrap your mind around. just a neat little nice movie. as for the bad reviews here, i'd be interested to see how many are men and what age they may be.

A film that I love because it asked interesting questions, like, "After your singular dream is shattered into a trillion pieces... then what??" How fascinating a question is that? Most dreamers think the question shouldn't even be asked, but reality is taken head on in this film. I didn't love the grampa; his attitude was ridiculous to me, but the rest of the film was inspiring and had a ring of exciting truth in it.… Expand

I wanted to like this movie, I really did. The film is not bad, yet it is terribly overrated. It kept my eyes pointed toward the screen, but not much more. The characters are very much "end of the spectrum" types: the motivational speaker dad is extra anal about motivation, the angst-filled teenager is extra angsty, etc. etc. I waited for the meaningful moments, the lessons about life to show up, but they stayed home. This film is rather predictable and bland from beginning to end, which I found to be surprising, given how promising it looked from the trailer. This film getting a best picture nomination by the "Academy" really pushes home the message that there must be back-scratching and such favors going on when it comes time to pick nominees. Again, it's not bad, just a rather generic ups-and-downs dysfunctional family film with a fuzzy happy ending.… Expand

A movie about six nutty people caged within a dysfunctional family and a clapped-out van. I loved it. And if you liked Sideways then you might love it too.

I loved this movie. It was a movie that I would describe as refreshing. It was unlike most movies and it made me laugh!

Just because you leave the theater with a smile on your face doesn't mean it's a good movie. It means you like to see awkward little girls prosper and enjoy their childhood. Who doesn't? But everything leading up to these few minutes of Breslin enjoyment are painful to sit through and show no signs of humor at all. A for effort from Abigail but everything else failed miserably.

You can't just wait for a movie to "wow" you to appreciate it. LMS is a revelation through a family that is as dysfunctional as it gets but pulls it together enough to love each other when they need it most. It is funny and heartwarming, especially when you start with the worst and then you see the best. Out of Departed, Babel, and LMS, this movie is by far the most entertaining movie that leaves you with a smile on your face, not leaving the theater being depressed and feeling like the world is one big craphole (like Babel and the Departed do).… Expand

The film had its moments, but overall it had this annoying, unsubtle sense of self-importance and preciousness that just didn't sell me. Maybe it was too much DeVotchka and Sufjan and wistful facial expressions.

Can you say "overrated". I kept waiting for something to surprise me and win me over...not! Oh, and I guessed the ending from the very beginning. It'll probbaly win best picture too. What a joke.

I am stunned this movie was nominated for best picture. I don

Americans doing what they do best, laughing at themselves. Simple and well acted, this movie reminds us that you can find beauty in low budget films.

Classic! It's going to be the next movie that every college kid has on DVD.

Loved the movie. Could have done without all of the F-bombs. I loved the ending of the pagent.

Just how did this made-for-TV movie make it into theaters? If I make a video of my fat little sister dancing in front of a televised beauty pageant with my cliched grandparent swearing in the background, can I go to Sundance too?

Loved the movie. It captures a certain feeling that is timely. I found it to be original and hilarious. Great cast. Each member had an endearing quality (even grandpa!). Frankly I don't understand all of the zeros being given to this movie. I don't know what people expect from a good film. Maybe they're more into your Armageddon-type movie. Who knows. Well to each his own, but I loved this flick.… Expand

I loved it! No, nothing blows up and nobody winds up getting hacked to death but that's half of the appeal of this film. All of us know the wanna-be successful dad. All of us know the chain-smoking mom in denial, pretending that if she doesn't acknowledge that her husband is a failure, her brother is suicidal and her daughter has no chance of winning the pageant that it all doesn't exist. Excellent job by Michael Arndt, the producers and directors. Best of luck to LMS as Best Picture of 2006!… Expand

Motivation husband, depressed teenager, coke sniffing grandad, frumpy kid, and a uncle that tried to kill himself, with these charactors stuck in a VW van for a 800 mile journey it sounds like a great idea for a movie, WRONG!!! I can see why some people may find this a good film but for me it felt that the film just didn't go anywhere. Personally if you want a film that captures the plain goofyness of various charactors then I suggest watching Napolean Dynamite.… Expand

A fun movie, well-done, even though the plot has been little over-done.

At the end of this movie I felt warmth in my heart.

This movie is wretched. The characters are unappealing and classless. I couldn't root for any of them. Just gross. Who would let their kid act in this junk?

Awful!

To my mind i think this film is good but not exceptionnal, i don't understand when i see 100/100 or good marks like that! if you see this movie you'll pass a good moment but you'll forget it quickly.

Great movie

when the movie ended, i immediatly packed it up and sold it to the local Game Stop......i had to get this peice of crap out of my home

horrible, simply horrible, it had the wit of an elementary schooler, and the filth of a pervert

Good show, almost great. So delicious that one tends to ignore the spillage when it goes over the top. As entertainment that rings true it's immediately gratifying, but the contrivances linger.

im sorry, i just cannot understand the huge attraction to this movie. there was maybe one or two funny moments, but that was it....the jokes were stupid, and the whole thing was boring....at the end it seemed like they would end the movie with a good message, but then the movie disappointed me again, it couldnt even end on a good note....I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

Sometimes we just live our lives in our own little worlds and forget just how much diversity is out there. This film has captured a family that has its quirks and is different; but aren't we all? Beneath the challenges each family member faces, remains strength, love, patience, guidance and acceptance--not a bad lot to have in life. Every family has its own, ah, uniqueness, and this is a family to be cherished for all it has to offer each other and those viewing the film. Great cast and wonderful acting--give in to it and you will enjoy not only the experience but perhaps appreciate your own family, warts and all, just a little bit more.… Expand

They tricked me, and stole my money.

I loved this movie. It's irreverence as survivability, sarcasm as honesty, with the quirks and spasms of a lifetime condensed into a few days journey. Believable? Nah. But why should anyone care. Take the ride. It's carnival faire to be sure. But a warning. If you take yourself or anyone or anything seriously, this isn't for you. Just read the negative reviews if you have any doubts.… Expand

I had to vote cause I thought the movie stank! I walked out of the film before the old man died--probably only the second or third film I've ever walked out of. This film Did Not Work! "Harold and maude" (a quirky independent film about disfunctional folks) worked. This film did not! It's absolutely pathetic it's been nominated for anything. Ensemble? Please. Thank God Altman (the great ensemble director) is dead. It's a sham. I thought it was big in Santa Cruz because someone local was a director (or something). I suppose when "Crash" beat out "Good Night and Good Luck" last year it was time to give it all a rest. The little was cute--let's hope her career lives through this experience.… Expand

I felt totally conned by this movie. I can just imagine the Fox poeple at Sundance thinking, "Those arty blue-staters LOVE quirky indie comedies like this, with their ironically suburban aesthetics and implausible motel sets that mimic 'Wallpaper' spreads from 1999!" The script was total garbage; I could hear its rusty gears creaking throughout, especially during the exposition scenes when the writer had to contrive a way for the entire family to agree to take the road trip. I think Little Miss Sunshine might be my least favorite movie of all time. No doubt it will win best original screenplay at this year's Oscars.… Expand

Possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. Shocked at all the good reviews. Never cracked a smile once neither did the other 3 people I saw it with. Awful.

This was a great move. It was funny-at times- but I was much more pleased with the great characters like the Grandpa(Alan Arkin) and the fabulous preformance by Steve carrel. All in all, I loved it, and I would totally reccomend it. I just don't understand why it's getting 1's and 0's, it was a really fun movie to watch. Rent it, watch it, love it.

The people who rated this movie lowly either didn't finish watching the film or went in expecting one thing and can't forgive the directors for giving them something else. Yes there were small holes in the plot but each performance was excellent, nothing was crammed down your throat, and the ending was one of the funniest in recent memory.

How about putting this in bold font across the top of the DVD box, "The Most Overrated Film of the Decade." Look I know a good movie when I see one and never let the hype get to me. I thought Sideways and Lost in Translation were well deserving of their praise when they came out and were nominated for Best Picture but this was a joke. Let's go over a few of the stand-out scenes **Spoiler**: Alan Arkin uses countless expletives for no reason at all until he finally dies, Carell mispronounces Proust about fifteen times, Paul Dano mopes around for two hours then turns into the grandfather and curses uncontrollably for no reason, and finally the movie climaxes with a so-quirky-she's-cute kid stripping in a beauty pageant. Chevy Chase must be rolling in his grave right now thinking about this poor attempt at remaking his comedy classic. And can we talk about Steve Carell's underacting? It seems he went into a coma sometime around the start of production and hasn't come out of character since. You can watch his eyes in the film carefully read over the cue cards off screen while trying not to fall asleep.… Expand

Imagine a comedy in which each of the main characters has to confront losing his or her dream. Now, picture that comedy taking place mostly in a little yellow van that has a character all its own, and you have

I don't understand how people could give this movie a 9 or 10? It's just plan bad! Read Happy Killmore he's right on the money about this stinker. Bad is bad and this movie is bad!

Watching Abigail Breslin act like an eight year old girl was terrific! The movie captured the joy of her innocence, and how it eventually brought a family who was traveling in different directions together. The cast had real chemistry, and was really impressed with Steve Carell's choice of movie after the 40 Year Old Virgin. Alan Arkin was superb as the grandfather. His love for his granddaughter was real, and the shot at child beauty pageants was really funny! This isn't the age of Ozzie and Harriet, but what you see in this movie is the love of a real American family. This movie will make you smile as much as you laugh, because it felt so real.… Expand

I'm not a fan of independent films, especially cloyingly artsy-fartsy ones like this. There are some chuckles to be had, but the little girl is nearly pushed out of the picture by her dysfunctional family, and the movie just sort of petered out at the end without finality.

Predictable, cheap, condescending, and hollow. The characters are paper-thin, embodying weird idiosyncratic mannerisms instead of developing into actual, somewhat believable "people;" the script is flat-out awful, poking fun at the misfortunes of the characters at every opportunity; and while the acting is decent provided the material, nobody could save this movie from itself. Little Miss Sunshine is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a good (or even decent!) film -- let alone something that gets nominated for Best Picture. Don't believe the hype.… Expand

Looking at the people who gave this movie bad reviews, I think they wanted this movie to be a straight-forward comedy. But it's not. It's really saterical and tonge-in-cheek. People who dont find this movie funny are jus idiots who dont hav a high enuff IQ to get the jokes.

Allan and Ethan have NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. This is a splendid dark comedy, whose characters offer endless smiles both through there words and actions. If you are looking for the 40 year old virgin, look else where. Yet, if you are looking for You, me, and everyone we know, you will enjoy this film.

Very good movie, not slapstick funny but the kind of funny that sticks with you.

If you liked Sideways, you'll like this movie. The movie did make me laugh out loud once or twice, which I suppose would lead some to believe I enjoyed it. However, it was more or less the same laugh I get watching America's Funniest Home Videos where the little kid whacks the father in the nuts with a plastic bat. These characters are under-developed and uninteresting. They9;ve tried to find the freakiest combination of liberals possible. Drug-addicted foul mouthed grandfather who ends up dieing mid-road trip and gets lugged along (You've seen this movie before, it was National Lampoon's Vacation which I'd give 9 out of 10). The son who doesn't speak until he realizes he can't become a military pilot. But he's 15 which means he's in school, right? How do you get through school without talking? The brother-in-law is gay and suicidal and explains exactly why he's suicidal to the daughter at the dinner table. Seems like a loser to me. The mother has absolutely no interest in what the grandfather is teaching her to do at the Little Miss Sunshine contest and also, evidently, has never been to a competition. Way to go mom. Finally, the father is trying to be a "self-help" guru but hasn't tried a single one of his step on his OWN FAMILY! He doesn't deserve to succeed since he lives with the biggest bunch of rag-tag morons on the planet! This movie was awful. I didn't like the characters, I didn't identify with the characters, I didn't care about the characters. They all deserved to fail...and they did.… Expand

Very good little picture. Good acting, & direction.

I had heard the critics say how good this movie is so I wantedI enjoyed the movie. I laughed at the funny antics like everyone else but I really started to get interested in it after I began to add up all the pieces of Alan Arkin's character and came to the conclusion that he's a child molester. There are so many signals that this might be true through out the movie that it becomes kind of sad. Sad because we, the audience, like the family are totally oblivious to the fact that he is probably molesting her the whole time he's in the movie. Because it's played by Mr. Arkin we think that this character is just a harmless heroin sniffing, foul mouthed porn magazine toting old man that just happens to share the hotel room with his granddaughter. The child is so innocent that she sees nothing wrong with sharing the strip tease he taught her to Rick James' "Super Freak" and the parents had no idea what he was teaching her. Even the shots of the little girls in the pageant remind you of JonBenet Ramsey and make you think "what's going on here?".… Expand

Horrible ending, in true "independent" film manner. Amusing but puh-leese, not a "best of" in any sense.

Quirkiest dark comedy I have seen in years. Never realized a disfunctional family could be so hilarious. Must see.

Incredibly overrated. Critics love these quirky independent films. I think they are so starved for good movies they overreact to anything different. Not very funny and not very insightful.

I understand that the story tells about all the troubles this broken family goes through, but I just didn't know what point the movie was trying to make. They callled it comedy, but there wasn't really anything to laugh about. In fact, the end comes quite suddenly, it doesns't even have a scene that reconciles the entire situation and puts the family back into one piece. I just don't get it.… Expand

Pretty funny. Pretty clever. Grandpa's the best and he dies, but, still. Oh and, is it me or does Greg Kinnear seem to always be in movies that are good? Either he or someone working for him knows how to choose scripts, or something.

Overrated. It never ceases to amaze me how an audience will sit through a 100-minute flick in silence except for two or three laugh-out-loud moments, then label the thing "hilarious," and "hysterically funny." Come on people, raise your standards -- don't give modest efforts like this rave reviews just because they have a few moments of poignancy and chuckles.