Little Miss Sunshine

[noyes]

Jesus, I feel like I saw a different movie than everyone else. Fuck this indie quirky talk bullshit.

amen.

[w/o horse]

I still the disagree that the ending was happy, that the perseverance will lead to changed lives, and I certainly disagree that the film was a big warm hug.

I feel like I saw a different move than everyone else.  I saw Scoop.

[Figure 8]

Spoiler:
Did anyone else think that the grandfather death sequence was way too much like a National Lampoon movie?

[I Don't Believe in Beatles]

Not really.  There's much more of an emotional impact in the sequence than I remember in any of the National Lampoon movies I've seen, which puts it on a completely different level than the treatment of the grandmother in Vacation.

[Chest Rockwell]

Saw this last night. I didn't get the friendly hug sensation; if anything I thought the movie was a little depressing. Everyone failed by the end, even the one optimistic point through the movie (the pageant itself and more particularly the girl's dream of being a beautiful pageant girl) failed horribly. When I first saw it I felt a little more optimistic at the end, because of how the family comes together to make sure Olive feels good about herself, but really after sitting on it for a few hours I've come to the conclusion that it's a pretty empty, shallow, and temporary happiness. You know that soon as they get back to Albuquerque all the problems will begin anew, even if as a family they are sticking it out together. In the end, they're all losers, even if it did have some sort of lubby-dubby family-bonding ending.

It was competently made and the performers all superb. Reminded me of Royal Tenenbaums quite a bit. And the little girl who played Olive was adorable; I almost cried when she was walking down the hill in her little boots to put her arm around Dwayne. Carrell and Dano in particular played their roles perfectly and came out likable despite the fact one was egotistical and the other cynical.

[pete]

I thought the movie's point was pretty obvious that they weren't losers though.  the grandfather and the father and the uncle all made little speeches about how just by trying and doing your thang makes you not a loser.  In the end, winning a beauty pageant where everyone's a freak, or scoring a motivational gig, or becoming an airforce pilot or #1 proust scholar is not what defines success.  I think the movie does a pretty good job of illustrating how ridiculous each of these goals is.  I saw it again yesterday with some friends, and I still don't feel depressed.

[w/o horse]

The movie should make you feel good because unlike most indie films it has proactive characters who go on a journey that they more or less win (while most indie films seem to be about waiting for the insular life of some droll character to be punctured by an unexpected revelation).  But thinking about what happens after the movie is where the heavy heart sets in.

[Chest Rockwell]

I thought the movie's point was pretty obvious that they weren't losers though.  the grandfather and the father and the uncle all made little speeches about how just by trying and doing your thang makes you not a loser.  In the end, winning a beauty pageant where everyone's a freak, or scoring a motivational gig, or becoming an airforce pilot or #1 proust scholar is not what defines success.  I think the movie does a pretty good job of illustrating how ridiculous each of these goals is.  I saw it again yesterday with some friends, and I still don't feel depressed.

I agree that that's probably what it was aiming for, but I didn't really feel that, or at least I don't now. I'll need to see it again, I guess. It wouldn't be the first time that my feelings completely change upon a second screening.

[pete]

spoiler

the part when the dad tries to agree with the horny cop and says "sweet sweetness" is one of the funniest things ever.

[noyes]

spoiler

hahah classic.
that line especially.

[matt35mm]

I have to say that I'm in the camp of those that feel depressed after watching this.  The actual pageant itself was one of the most discomfiting things I've ever seen.  I just really felt awful throughout that.  I don't know if it was just the movie, but I just felt this odd mini-depression when I came out of this.  Even if the movie wanted to make a point about them not being losers, I still just found all the characters to be so sad to me.  Even so, I did find it to be very funny, and I liked it.  I just didn't feel hugged by it like some of you did.

[Derek237]

I saw it a week or so ago and I have absolutely nothing but praise for it. LMS is one of those films, for me anyway, that you inexplicably love even before you see the title pop up on the screen. It's a big celebration of outsiders and their quirks, and it was never presented in a negative way. For a movie that has a kid who claims to hate everyone and has taken a vow of silence, a homosexual who has just attempted suicide, a drug-addicted grandpa, and a couple on the verge of divorce, that's saying something!! Steve Carell is great, I'm glad to see him take on a more challenging role because he's obviously capable of it (There are moments in the 40-Year-Old Virgin where you can strongly sense his abilities to be more than just goofy). Not to sound like Richard Roeper here, but I hope he gets an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Everyone else was great too, the girl who played Olive was adorable. It put a smile on my face just to see her awkwardly walk down a hill wearing those cowboy boots. And the ending- well, it has one of those scenes that you see from time to time, I won't give it away, but it's the best of the best when it comes to scenes like that, it's up there with About A Boy for me; it had me in stitches.

My favourite movie of the year so far and by far. 

[A Matter Of Chance]

I definitely enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I was disappointed with Carrell, even though Arkin, Collette and Kinnear made up for it handsomely.

And, yes, I was amazingly depressed after watching this movie.

[Chrisdarko]

What the Oscars need is a best ensemble category. This would fit nicely there.

[children with angels]

Saw this last night. It was a fairly middling enjoyable experience for me. My main problem with is was that it had quite big clashes of tones that didn't quite work: there was a sober family drama, an anarchic comedy and an almost Hollywood-kids-film moral story all jostling for position here in a way that didn't quite mesh. Watching it for its specific pleasures turns up quite a lot of enjoyment (I laughed and smiled a lot), but as a whole it felt pretty messy and the tonal problems definitely stopped it from moving me in any real sense.

Also, I cannot believe that no one has mentioned how much the opening sequence directly ripped off Magnolia's character intro bit! The driving, melancholic music track while we cut between: ironically upbeat thing on TV screen (beauty pageant/Frank's infomercial), private drug-snorting sadsack (grandad/Claudia), woman getting neurotic and angry at someone on a cell phone (mum/Linda); guy giving a motivational speech (dad/Frank). There are lots of whip-pans and fast track-ins going all through this. There was also a replica of the Dirk miirror shot at the end of BN with the granddad, and a hint of the Dirk bedroom circular pan in the teenage son's bedroom. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! It was probably the first blatant homage to PTA I've seen in film: and lo, he is enteringing into film language...