I was susprised not to see a topic for this film.

Definetely one of the best comedies to come out in a long time. Hilarious, well acted, great chemistry, great characterization, and poignient.

The best moment I think is when you see Olive on stage lined up with all those other contestants who are so cutesied up it's downright disgusting.

And then of course, the most perfect ending they could have come up with. I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen it, but I saw it (Other than the obvious 'Free spirit' angle) as a satirical uppercut at all those pageants. 'Strip away the glamor, this is what you're really doing to those little girls'.

Great, great movie.

I also loved this movie. I commented on it briefly in "Recent movies..." As well as being hillarious, there are many tender moments that add some real depth to the story. Alan Arkin steals the show, but all the performances are top-notch. The ending is great, and it really leaves you feeling good leaving the theater.

For days after seeing that movie, that stupid van kept appearing in my dreams.

I, too, loved Little Miss Sunshine.

I didn't like this film at all. I thought the humor was too broad and it went way over the top at the end. That last scene when the entire family gets up on stage to dance was ridiculous. It devolved into bathos.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
I was susprised not to see a topic for this film.

Definetely one of the best comedies to come out in a long time. Hilarious, well acted, great chemistry, great characterization, and poignient.

Great, great movie.[/QUOTE I too think it is and will remain one of the truly great comedies due to its serious content. Those poor broken, tormented souls in the van on a journey that creates a sense of real community and ultimately healing. It doesn't get much better than that. I too love the ending. Hoping not to spoil the ending, it is truly a metaphor about the journey. Strip away what socialization often does to us and we find our true, common humanity. Doing that through comedy requires great creativity. I will definitely purchase this DVD.]

I thought Toni Collette ("The Sixth Sense") did an outstanding job in her protrayal of Sheryl. A real supporting Mom even in times of crisis. It was a heartfelt film. The dvd will be out on December 19th and I just read it will include the music video entitled "Till the End of Time."

i am madly in love with this movie, not because of its brains or its personality, but because its beautiful inside and out. just kidding it is the brains and personailty. all well written characters and props to steve carell for stepping out of his comfort zone (it was a role written for bill murray, careel and murray= totally different styles of comedy). alan arkin, oh *SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* why did your character have to be killed off so soon. every time alan arkin opened his mouth i laughed. but no bad performances in this film ,and im so glad i saw it as soon as i did

I am amazed at the versitile talent that embodies Mr. Steve Carrell. He's like a chameleon ... changing back and forth into different roles. He is a true character actor and I love him for it.
I also thought the hospitial scenes with Paul Dano were also well thought out. Alan Arkin shined as the grandfather. He had a great chemistry with Abigail.... like he really was a part of her family. That was another thing that made the movie great.

The DVD release is a delightful manner of translating the film from film to DVD. Immediately I imagined that Little Miss Sunshine would be in a matted Widescreen aspect ratio (1:85:1), rather than the prestigious 2:40:1 scope ratio. The quality of the film is incomparable. The commentary is insightful from both directors and the writer. Mr. Arndt's commentary is hedonic. It is clear that Mr. Arndt feels modest regarding the script he has written. It is his writing that elevates the film from caricatures to abject human beings.

The poignancy’s that illuminate this movie are the faint yet myriad details. In every scene the directors make sure that the audience recognizes details that are jaunty and significant to building the characters of the film. The dialogue scene between each member of the family while attempting to eat dinner is felicitous in establishing each character’s nuances. The grandfather is a vital example. He illuminates the screen with his little speaking parts, such as his critique of “fucking chicken? Again”, “there is a word for loving another man”, and “I paid them, so I should do what I want”. The physical reactions to these comments by the mother are notable with Toni Colette’s impeccable performance as the depressed yet hopeful mother.

Mr. Arkin deserves recognition for his performance as the heroin snorting grandfather who is sexually bemused by life. The most memorable performance out of this film is by Greg Kinnear as the self-help guru who constantly advertises his “nine steps” of a successful life.

This film is a reminder of the rare comedic humor in American movies. It is the finest American comedy since Wes Anderson & David O. Russell dwelled into the humor scene.

Mr. Arndt feels modest but I think that the script couldn't of been more orginial. I think he well deserves some awards for his hard work. It is no surprise to me that Alan Arkin did an outstanding job. He has always been a great actor to me. Creating outstanding characters... making it look effortless and throughly entertaining us with his wit and wisdom. Greg Kinnear's role was different from anything he has protrayed before. I wonder what is next for him. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Such a warm, funny little movie. It really is heartwarming to watch...but the peagant scene is downright disturbing. The way those little girls look and prance around the stage, I wanted to vomit and cry.

As great a movie that this is, it also sends a distrubing message about children's beauty peagants...they should be outlawed. I think cock-fighting is more ethical than turning those girls into monsters. My god. Frightening.

I give the movie 9 out of 10 thumbs up.

Great movie, and probably my favorite of the year. Every performance was outstanding, and I loved the film's ability to be simulataneously hilarious and heartwarming. There were times where you wanted to both laugh and cry. Best ensemble cast I've seen in a film in years.

Yes it was a total group effort and each individual effort brillant. It made the film have a great spontaniety. It really made the film work.

I rented this one over the weekend, and enjoyed the heck out of it. It's a nice little movie, and it was nice to see so much character development in under 2 hours. You really get a feel for all of the characters pretty quickly, and that's a rare treat.

One of the better movies from 2006 that I've seen, but I haven't seen that many 2006 flicks.

I think that this movie will be an instant classic. We need more original films such as this one.

I agree, It was completely original and refreshing! I thought it was hilarious.. the whole idea of this screwed up family and their crazy adventures. The performances were outstanding and I was captivated throughout the whole film. Ohhh Yeahhh

the best thing about this film is probably the way the cast works together. lake wrote that alan arkin and abagail breslin were like they were in the same family. Im not sure i could agree more, but it applies to the whole cast. Ties the departed for the most well acted film of the year

quote:

Originally posted by thommy thom:
the best thing about this film is probably the way the cast works together. lake wrote that alan arkin and abagail breslin were like they were in the same family. Im not sure i could agree more, but it applies to the whole cast. Ties the departed for the most well acted film of the year

Yeah kinda how Rocky and Taxi Driver tie in my book for best picture of 1976... if I had a lobotomy.

That can be arranged, cheap.

quote:

Originally posted by thommy thom:
the best thing about this film is probably the way the cast works together. lake wrote that alan arkin and abagail breslin were like they were in the same family. Im not sure i could agree more, but it applies to the whole cast. Ties the departed for the most well acted film of the year

You know, even though I really liked The Departed, I still think that Little Miss Sunshine was acted better, overall. Although Sunshine didn't have a lead actor the way that The Departed did, the entire ensemble was just a tad better. The reason why I thought that was--and believe me, I hate saying this--but Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon didn't really add anything special to the film. The special touches and acting were added by Leonardo DiCaprio (who really acted brilliantly,) Mark Wahlberg (who definitely deserved his nomination) and a small, but greatly-acted role by Martin Sheen. I am used to seeing Nicholson take over a film, delve into it and shine as the best actor. However, with this one it felt as if he was out of place and really didn't do much. His accent came and went, his ad-libbed scenes weren't anything memorable, and above that, scenes were stolen from him by the other actors. DiCaprio really impressed me, as did Walhberg, they pushed that film all the way forward.

As for Little Miss Sunshine, great acting all around. The scenes in the van where all the characters are laughing, at times arguing, at times confused ("Where's Olive?"), when they kidnap the grandpa, when they are arguing at the dinner table while in the background you can hear Olive screaming--are all magical. There is no doubt in my mind that that was the best ensemble cast of the year.

I am not knocking on you at all thommy thom, I love both films, I just wanted to share my opinion and obviously, I have a strong one at that.