Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Directors:

Jonathan Dayton
Valerie Faris

Writer (WGA):

Michael Arndt (written by)

Release Date:

18 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Where's Olive?

Plot:

A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

Plot Keywords:

Pageant | Loser | Beauty Pageant | Graduate Student | Vow Of Silence

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 53 wins & 55 nominations

Cast

Abigail Breslin	...	Olive Hoover
Greg Kinnear	...	Richard Hoover
Paul Dano	...	Dwayne
Alan Arkin	...	Grandpa Edwin Hoover
Toni Collette	...	Sheryl Hoover
Steve Carell	...	Frank Ginsberg
Marc Turtletaub	...	Doctor #1
Jill Talley	...	Cindy
Brenda Canela	...	Diner Waitress
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Mechanic
Chuck Loring	...	Convenience Store Proprietor
Justin Shilton	...	Josh
Gordon Thomson	...	Larry Sugarman
Steven Christopher Parker	...	Teen Boy #1
Bryan Cranston	...	Stan Grossman
John Walcutt	...	Doctor #2
Paula Newsome	...	Linda
Dean Norris	...	State Trooper McCleary
Beth Grant	...	Pageant Official Jenkins
Wallace Langham	...	Kirby
Lauren Shiohama	...	Miss California
Mary Lynn Rajskub	...	Pageant Assistant Pam
Jerry Giles	...	Funeral Home Worker
Geoff Meed	...	Biker Dad
Matt Winston	...	Pageant MC
Joan Scheckel	...	Judge
Casandra Ashe	...	Girl in Hallway
Mel Rodriguez	...	Officer Martinez
Alexandria Alaman	...	Pageant Contestant
Alissa Anderegg	...	Pageant Contestant
Brittany Baird	...	Pageant Contestant
Cambria Baird	...	Pageant Contestant
Brenae Bandy	...	Pageant Contestant
Kristen Holaas	...	Pageant Contestant
Maliah Hudson	...	Pageant Contestant
Destry Jacobs	...	Pageant Contestant
Lindsey Jordan	...	Pageant Contestant
Shane Murphy	...	Pageant Contestant
Annabelle Roberts	...	Pageant Contestant
Sydni Stevenson-Love	...	Pageant Contestant
Nicole Stoehr	...	Pageant Contestant
Lauren Yee	...	Pageant Contestant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Erik David Barber	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Terry Bolo	...	Pageant Worker (uncredited)
Marc De'Antone	...	Seminar Class (uncredited)
Tara Dawn Holland	...	Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ksenia Jarova	...	Pretty Girl (uncredited)
Robert O'Connor	...	Pageant Judge #1 (uncredited)
Regis Philbin	...	Himself (voice) (uncredited)
Matthew W. Tate	...	Funeral Worker #2 (uncredited)

Directed by
Jonathan Dayton
Valerie Faris

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael Arndt		(written by)

Produced by
Albert Berger	....	producer
Michael Beugg	....	executive producer
Jeb Brody	....	executive producer
David T. Friendly	....	producer
Bart Lipton	....	associate producer
Peter Saraf	....	producer
Marc Turtletaub	....	producer
Ron Yerxa	....	producer

Original Music by
Mychael Danna
DeVotchKa

Cinematography by
Tim Suhrstedt		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Pamela Martin

Casting by
Justine Baddeley
Kim Davis-Wagner

Production Design by
Kalina Ivanov

Art Direction by
Alan E. Muraoka

Set Decoration by
Melissa M. Levander		(as Melissa Levander)

Costume Design by
Nancy Steiner

Makeup Department
Susan Carol Schwary	....	key hair stylist (as Susan Carol-Schwary)
Janis Clark	....	hair department head
Dugg Kirkpatrick	....	key hair stylist (as 'Dugg' Kirkpatrick)
Amy Lederman	....	makeup artist
Angel Radefeld	....	key makeup artist
Nicole Sortillon	....	makeup assistant (as Nicole Sortillion)
Torsten Witte	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Michael Bergyl	....	unit production manager
Bob Dohrmann	....	production supervisor
Michael Toji	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Heather Anderson	....	additional second second assistant director
Kate Greenberg	....	second second assistant director
Joe May	....	additional second second assistant director
Gregory J. Smith	....	second assistant director (as Gregory Smith)
Thomas Patrick Smith	....	first assistant director
Thomas Robinson Harper	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Bart Lipton	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ellis J. Barbacoff	....	assistant property master
Tony Bonaventura	....	property master
Andrea Cantrell	....	assistant props
Jill Deibler	....	buyer
Joseph Kevin Garcia	....	swing gang (as Joseph K. Garcia)
Theresa Greene	....	art department coordinator
Michael Klingerman	....	leadman
David Marple	....	swing gang
Rich Murray	....	assistant art director
Christopher Pappas	....	on-set dresser
Christopher Pappas	....	props
Rion Waller	....	swing gang
Ryan Wylie	....	props

Sound Department
Rick Ash	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Kerry Ann Carmean	....	foley editor
Patrick Cusack	....	assistant sound editor
Andrew DeCristofaro	....	supervising sound editor
Craig Dollinger	....	boom operator
Bill Henderson	....	sound re-recording engineer
Stacey Michaels	....	adr mixer
Sterling Moore	....	boom operator: additional photography
Steven Morrow	....	sound mixer
Steve Nelson	....	sound effects editor (as Steven F. Nelson)
Nancy Nugent	....	supervising adr editor (as Nancy Kyong Nugent)
Buck Robinson	....	sound mixer: additional photography
Stephen P. Robinson	....	supervising sound editor
Terry Rodman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Sharman	....	utility sound technician
Christopher Sidor	....	sound mix technician
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer
John C. Stuver	....	dialogue editor
Lucy Sustar	....	foley mixer
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist
John Soukup	....	sound transfer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ian Eyre	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Adam Avitabile	....	visual effects supervisor
Chad Buehler	....	digital compositor
Joshua D. Comen	....	visual effects producer (as Josh Comen)
Jenny Foster	....	visual effects coordinator
Rob Ostir	....	digital effects artist
Steve Rodriguez	....	colorist

Stunts
Kenny Anderson	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Kacie Borrowman	....	stunt double: Abigail Breslin
Clay Cullen	....	stunt double
Riley Harper	....	stunt double
Thomas Robinson Harper	....	stunt coordinator (as Tom Robinson Harper)
Traci Richelle Harrison	....	stunts
Christie Hayes	....	stunt double
Michael Hugghins	....	stunt double
Mark Kubr	....	stunts and water safety
Larry Rippenkroeger	....	stunts
Matthew Taylor	....	stunt double: Greg Kinnear

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Bango	....	first assistant camera
Matt Bardocz	....	best boy electric
Clint Borden	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
Tom Boyd	....	underwater camera operator
Brian Cantrell	....	electrician
Jack Carpenter	....	camera car grip
Theda Cunningham	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Greg Dellerson	....	assistant camera
Josh Denering	....	grip
Carlos M. Gallardo	....	dolly grip
Paul Goodstein	....	key grip
Jeffrey Greeley	....	camera operator
Keith A. Hascher	....	lighting technician
Jimi Johnson	....	video assist operator
Lawrence Karman	....	Steadicam operator
Frederick Lawrence	....	grip
Heather Lea	....	first assistant camera
Eric Lee	....	still photographer
Christopher Mack	....	"b" camera
Christopher Mack	....	first assistant camera
Paul McIlvaine	....	gaffer
Alan Morier	....	lighting technician
Tony Olivieri	....	first assistant Steadicam
Michelle Pizanis	....	clapper loader
Chris J. Rossi	....	best boy grip
Rigney Sackley	....	assistant camera
Aaron Atom Vyvial	....	grip

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Kelly Hunt	....	extras casting
Rich King	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bethany Bernhard	....	set costumer
Lisa Hyde	....	set costumer
Robin McMullan	....	costume supervisor
Jennifer Starzyk	....	key costumer

Editorial Department
Ian Elias	....	post-production assistant
Joe Fineman	....	post-production consultant
Terel Gibson	....	first assistant editor
Jessica Otto	....	post-production assistant: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Nick Wenger	....	post-production assistant
Lee Wimer	....	color timer

Music Department
Sebastian Arocha Morton	....	music remixer
Elliott Goldkind	....	assistant music editor
Brad Haehnel	....	music mixer
Brad Haehnel	....	scoring mixer
Susan Jacobs	....	music supervisor
Anne Litt	....	music supervisor
Rob Simonsen	....	assistant to composer
Tony Tisdale	....	additional music contributor
Joshua Winget	....	music editor (as Josh Winget)

Transportation Department
Joseph Aroesti	....	transportation co-captain
Mike Belt	....	mechanic
Angel Desanti	....	transportation co-captain
Dillan Esco	....	driver
J. Armin Garza II	....	driver: camera car
Geno Hart	....	transportation coordinator
Esteban Munoz	....	mechanic
Marty Osborne	....	picture cars
John Pellegrino	....	transportation
Adam Pinkstaff	....	transportation captain
William Smallwood	....	driver: production van

Other crew
Sebastian Arocha Morton	....	source cues (as Sebastian Arocha-Morton)
Mike Artimo	....	medic
Susan Bliss	....	post script services
Erik Bright	....	unit publicist
Cecilia Cardwell	....	studio teacher
Ed Casares	....	video artist
Michael B. Clark	....	assistant to producer
Richard Cody	....	key craft services
Molly Cooper	....	assistant to producers
William Cusick	....	office production assistant
Michael Dericks	....	choreographer
Thomas Farr	....	payroll accountant
Jennifer Zolten Freed	....	post-production accountant
Shaun Greenspan	....	production assistant
Francis Hadinoto	....	production assistant
Jennifer Hamilton	....	assistant choreographer
Traci Richelle Harrison	....	stand-in: Abigail Breslin
Erin Heidenreich	....	sales agent
Heather Holliday	....	production staff
James Kaplan	....	assistant: Mr. Dayton & Ms. Faris
Ashley Kravitz	....	script clearance
Joe Lewis	....	assistant: Mr. Dayton & Ms. Faris
Christopher Licata	....	production assistant
Felipe Linz	....	assistant to producers
Kevin Maier	....	stand-in: Steve Carell
Jason Mandel	....	production assistant
Joshua Mandel	....	production assistant
Laurent Marchand	....	caterer
Lyn Matsuda Norton	....	script supervisor (as Lyn Matsuda)
Charissa McLain	....	assistant production coordinator
Emily McMaster	....	assistant to producers
Dauv McNeely	....	computer and video playback technician
Christopher Miller	....	location manager
Dan Milner	....	location scout
Dan Murbarger	....	computer/video playback operator
Zack Neuman	....	office intern
Lyn Norton	....	script supervisor
Jessica Otto	....	assistant: Ms. Collette
Sara Pollack	....	production executive
Marguerite Pomerhn Derricks	....	choreographer (as Marguerite Derricks)
Michyl-Shannon Quilty	....	production coordinator
Mike Revell	....	production accountant
Jennessa Rose	....	additional voices
Julianna Rose	....	additional voices
Negar Saddigh	....	production assistant
Rocsana Saddigh	....	production assistant
Jessie Hope Salka	....	unit publicist
Suzanne C. Swindle	....	script supervisor
Katie Taylor	....	production assistant
Nate Taylor	....	key assistant location manager
Cori Uchida	....	assistant to producers
Jenny Worman	....	stand-in: Toni Collette
Bryan Yaconelli	....	first assistant accountant
Paul Young	....	production assistant
Howard R. Schuster	....	financing (uncredited)
Andie K. Taylor	....	intern (uncredited)

Thanks
James Everett Dayton	....	thanks
Joan Scheckel	....	the directors wish to thank: Joan Scheckel Lab
Jocelyn Towne	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Fox Searchlight Pictures (presents)
• Big Beach Films (as Big Breach) (in association with) (presents)
• Bona Fide Productions (as Bona Fide)
• Deep River Productions
• Third Gear Productions

Distributors

• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2006) (worldwide) (all media)
• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Netherlands (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Bontonfilm (2006) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Tatrafilm (2007) (Slovakia) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox España (2006) (Spain) (all media)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment España S.A. (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• FS Film Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Film1 (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Gativideo (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2007) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL8)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

• Title House Digital (opticals)
• LOOK! Effects (digital visual effects)

Other Companies

• AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  production insurance
• Avon Studio Transport  transportation
• Bob Industries  the producers wish to thank
• Body Glove  special thanks
• Camera Cars Unlimited  camera car and process trailer
• Carpenter Camera Cars  camera car and process trailer
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Cinetic Media  distribution advisory services
• Converse  special thanks
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Eclipse Catering  catering
• Entertainment Partners  payroll
• Global Entertainment Partners  video dailies
• GotFootage  special thanks
• Insignia Public Relations  unit publicity
• J.L. Fisher  camera cranes
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative cutting
• Miss America Productions  special thanks
• Murad Skin Care Laboratories  special thanks
• Negative People  negative cutting
• Pacific Title  main title design
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Paramount Recording Studios  music recorded and mixed at
• R.P. Productions  special thanks
• Reebok  special thanks
• Rich King Casting  extras casting
• Shotmaker  camera car and process trailer (as Shotmaker)
• Sloss Law Office  production legal services
• Soundelux  sound editing
• Title House Digital  titles and opticals
• Trevanna Post  post-production accounting
• Vans  special thanks
• Vine Street Studios  sound re-recording (as Todd-AO Vine Street Studios)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sex and drug content

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:M | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R (certificate #42333) | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIB | Germany:6 | Sweden:7 | New Zealand:R13 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Brazil:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Japan:PG-12 | Chile:TE | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Iceland:L | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

While filming in a convenience store in Santa Clarita, CA a Paul Dano look-a-like walked in. Dano was late and unaccounted for so everyone thought the look-a-like was Dano. After he explained that he was not Dano, they took some pictures and sent him on his way.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the first scene in the van, Olive isn't wearing her glasses. Although a viewer could easily say she took them off so her headphone wouldn't make them dig into her head, this was actually a mistake that the directors didn't notice for a very long time.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Richard:There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers.

Movie Connections:

References See Spot Run (2001)

Soundtrack:

Rodeo Queen

One Of The Best Movie "Gifts" I've Gotten This Year...

It is very rare to see a movie that can charm the hell out of an audience without the use of special effects, worn-out clichés and bombastic action set pieces these days. It's even more ridiculous to hope that you will see such a film for FREE. But that's exactly what happened to me tonight at a sneak preview of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.

I "discovered" this movie right here at IMDb, having heard not a peep about it beforehand. By the time I finished watching the second trailer for the THIRD time, I was floored...and hooked. Luckily, the Bulletin Boards steered me toward the proper link to access sneak passes for tonight's showing, and all I can say is that it will not pain me one bit to pay for the privilege of seeing this gem a second time.

Assembling the best and most unlikeliest of ensemble casts you may probably see all year, SUNSHINE on the face of it is a relatively (pun intended) simple story. Little seven-year-old Olive (Abigail Breslin) has one wish in life: to be considered for the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant in Redondo Beach, CA. When her big chance comes at the most unexpected time, it's up to her unbelievably fractured family to pull themselves together and make it happen for her, no matter what it takes.

And what it takes is a sad, painful, tragic and yet unendingly hilarious trek in a barely operational VW bus from Albequerque, NM to the Pageant. And although getting there is only half the fun and family drama, you have got to see what happens to believe it when they finally arrive and Olive gets to "do her thing." The strong cast sounds not a single false note, and when the more touching moments arrive, they don't seem forced the way they would in most other big-budget behemoths, because these moments are truly earned. But WHAT a collection of characters this is. Greg Kinnear is letter-perfect as Olive's judgmental, failed motivational-speaker father; Steve Carell finds new shades of darkest despair and human comedy as her suicidal gay uncle, a leading Proust scholar; Paul Dano does amazing things with little more than facial expressions as Olive's older brother who's deep into Nietzche and a vow of absolute silence, and Alan Arkin, though he has played this kind of role with both hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed, still shines like a crazy diamond as her cantankerous and hedonistic grandfather.

And barely holding this motley crew together is Toni Collette, who amazes by playing a mother again and yet manages not to portray the role exactly the same way, (you might recall her Oscar-nominated turn as Haley Joel Osment's put-upon mom in THE SIXTH SENSE.) I'm not at all familiar with the work of the two directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, or the writer, Michael Arndt, but they have definitely raised the indie film bar with this effort. Not a single moment is wasted; not a single scene is in this film without having a reason for being there, and it's all character-driven. There's also nothing fluffy about it - commentary about everything from how twisted our pop culture can be, to how our drive for being #1 winners can blind us to all of the things that are the most important are all there under the bittersweet laughs and tears for the audience to discover.

I can't recommend this one highly enough. And I can't wait to see it again.