Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-22
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 98 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
Pile together a blue-ribbon cast, a screenplay high in quirkiness, and the Sundance stamp of approval, and you've got yourself a crossover indie hit. That formula worked for Little Miss Sunshine, a frequently hilarious study of family dysfunction. Meet the Hoovers, an Albuquerque clan riddled with depression, hostility, and the tattered remnants of the American Dream; despite their flakiness, they manage to pile into a VW van for a weekend trek to L.A. in order to get moppet daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) into the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Much of the pleasure of this journey comes from watching some skillful comic actors doing their thing: Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette as the parents (he's hoping to become a self-help authority), Alan Arkin as a grandfather all too willing to give uproariously inappropriate advice to a sullen teenage grandson (Paul Dano), and a subdued Steve Carell as a jilted gay professor on the verge of suicide. The film is a crowd-pleaser, and if anything is a little too eager to bend itself in the direction of quirk-loving Sundance audiences; it can feel forced. But the breezy momentum and the ingenious actors help push the material over any bumps in the road. -- Robert Horton

Synopsis
Picked up after a well-received showing at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is a low-budget comedy about a family road trip from Albuquerque to California. The story begins when young Olive (Abigail Breslin) is given a shot at the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, and manages to coerce her family into driving west in their worn-down VW van. Olive's father Richard (Greg Kinnear) heads up the trip, while mother Sheryl (Toni Collette), brother Dwayne (Paul Dano), uncle Frank (Steve Carell), and grandfather (Alan Arkin) all come along for the ride. What follows resembles a modestly-budgeted version of PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: seemingly endless--and hilarious--mishaps befall the family as they wind their way across the country. Couple this with the witty interplay between a well-drawn set of dysfunctional characters, and that's the LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE formula in a nutshell; all the audience needs to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. The grainy texture of co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris's film may initially startle viewers unaccustomed to the indie film world but it's a testament to the cast and crew's efforts that the limitations imposed on the filmmakers are long forgotten by the end of the film. Any concerns about visual murkiness give way to belly laughs and bemusement as the road trip ends and the beauty pageant begins. Likely to have a broad appeal, Dayton and Faris' film resembles a version of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION directed with the pithy eye of Todd Solondz (WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE), and it's to the movie's credit that it manages to successfully marry these two seemingly disparate worlds.

Customer Reviews

very good but.....
Frequently hilarious, never boring,unpredictable and well-written, filmed,directed and acted.But it stretched credibility a little too far and if, like me, you don't approve of beauty pageants for young girls,and of the bad swearing in the presence of children,you still won't be overly impressed by what on the face of it is advertised as something of a family movie!

Seriously bad film - one star too good
I am amazed people give this film positive reviews in my opinion it is the worst film I have seen in a decade and should feature close to "The Wild Women of Wonga" in the worst films of all time list! I found it not at all funny and completely uninteresting / uninvolving at all levels.

I have never been moved to review anything on Amazon before which speaks volumes on just how bad I thought it was.

Little Miss Sunshine
Let me start by saying 'Little Miss Sunshine' is a quirky, yet delightful gem. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did but this is one of those films that keeps you engrossed throughout and leaves you feeling good at the end. The story is pretty original and all the actors do an amazing job, especially the young girl who plays Olive and Steve Carell in a more serious role for him, rather than the usual slapstick he does. At just over 90 minutes this film is perfect for those lazy afternoons and although there are many laugh out loud moments, there are also some warm and touching moments as well. A great little film that is well worth a viewing.