My latest post is a film review for the film Little Miss Sunshine...
When daughter Olive gets invited to take part in a beauty contest it comes down to the family to decide if they are going to take a road trip to get her to California. This is not a normal family though, Mother Sheryl is very open and truthfully to the family and this at times is a little harsh, father Richard is a self help guy trying to sell his 9 step programme without success, son Dwayne has taken a vow of silence, the Grandfather is a rude pig who uses heroine and has had to move in with the family as he got kicked out of his nursing home and they now have Sheryl’s brother staying with them as he tried to kill himself over his lover.
The family is very dysfunctional but they all agree to take the road trip in their campervan to get Olive to the pageant. The trip does not start well though as the clutch goes and they have to wait a week for the part to arrive or deal with the fact they will have to push the camper every time it stops to a good speed so it can be put straight into third gear. This poses a few problems as the family are all different ages and not able to keep up with a fast moving van. As the trip continues the family starts to fall apart by arguments and too many truths being told. Can the family keep it together and get Olive to the pageant and will the van make the 700 miles?
I have to say I did find it quite hard to give a brief plot summery for this film as it is actually quite basic and only involves a road trip, there is slightly more to the story though as a lot of things happen along the way but I felt giving to much away would spoil the film for those who may not have watched it yet. I did find the story quite good but there was a distinct lack of comedy. I only chose this film as it claims to be outrageously funny but both me and hubby felt it was very disappointing. There was a lot of potential to be had and many chances to the actors to make us laugh but the potential was never reached and there was only about 4 times when both me and hubby had a small giggle.
The acting was ok but I just could not help thinking that the actors were all holding back and not quite giving their all to the roles. We had some good actors including Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette but for me they were pretty weak. I did find some of the characters to be a little strange as well. Richard was always preaching his 9 step programme and this was very annoying and he did actually annoy his family with it and the Mother was too open with her children and I felt she needed to shut her mouth and know what should and should not be said to her 7 year old daughter. The role which Steve Carell took on was that of the depressed brother and I just could not warm to him. He was quiet and very withdrawn from the film, I know this was partly due to the fact his character had tried to kill himself but I just felt from a great comic actor he could have developed more and given a lot more to the film. The real star of the film for me was Grandfather, he was the one who gave me the few giggles, I loved how obnoxious he was at times and how he did not care what he said. I think I warmed to him more than the other characters as he did show another caring side and was not flat like the others.
The film was set on the road with the character travelling in the campervan and as result we did get some lovely scenery. I found the shots of the deserts and countryside were what made me enjoy this film slightly more. The views were at times quite stunning. I did enjoy the setting and although this is another road trip film it did have a difference to it. There is a good portion of the film set inside the van and I found that maybe if we had a few different settings then it would have been less dull to watch. The special effects which we got in a few of the scenes were good and in keeping with the feel of the film. There were no massive effects needed as there was no action in the film. The costumes were all good and modern and no real effort was needed with them.
I found that the music was a little odd at times, it seemed to have a French feel and it did not seem to fit at all with the parts that it was used in. I think with the openness of the film and the stunning views we had then a good strong soundtrack was definitely needed.
I am only reviewing the film so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for £3 in Tesco and is also available online. The running time of the film is 98 minutes and I felt this was quite long enough. The rate is a 15 and I definitely agree with this, we see some drug use in the film and there is a lot of bad language so it is not a film for the younger audience.
I had high hopes for this film as it was supposed to be very funny and had some good actors in but unfortunately both me and hubby were left very disappointed. The actors only seemed half interested in what they were doing and there was a distinct lack of comedy. I would not recommend going out and buying the DVD and I would advise caution even if this film does come on the TV so you get to watch for free. Sadly only a 2 star film for me.
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