Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

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

Directors:

Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Writer:

Michael Arndt

Stars:

Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear

Won 2 Oscars. Another 70 wins & 111 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In Albuquerque, Sheryl Hoover brings her suicidal brother Frank to the breast of her dysfunctional and emotionally bankrupted family. Frank is homosexual, an expert in Proust. He tried to commit suicide when he was rejected by his boyfriend and his great competitor became renowned and recognized as number one in the field of Proust. Sheryl's husband Richard is unsuccessfully trying to sell his self-help and self-improvement technique using nine steps to reach success, but he is actually a complete loser. Her son Dwayne has taken a vow of silence as a follower of Nietzsche and aims to be a jet pilot. Dwayne's grandfather Edwin was sent away from the institution for elders (Sunset Manor) and is addicted in heroin. When her seven-year-old daughter Olive has a chance to dispute the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, California, the whole family travels together in their old Volkswagen Type 2 (Kombi) in a funny journey of hope of winning the talent contest and to make a dream ...

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Plot Keywords:

gay | drugs | graduate student | beauty pageant | cross country trip | 

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Taglines:

A family on the verge of a breakdown

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sex and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Little Miss Sunshine

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$370,782, 30 July 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$59,891,098

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$100,523,181

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Big Beach Films, Bona Fide Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris had previously directed the "1979" music video by The Smashing Pumpkins. The total of Frank's purchase at the convenience store is $19.79.

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Goofs

When Olive is being escorted from backstage to perform, the girl with the headset on has a clipboard when she approaches Olive, but when she is walking Olive down the corridor, the clipboard disappears and reappears as they get near the performance stage.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

The DVD contains four alternate endings:

• Alternate Ending # 1 had the family stop at a rest stop the next day as they're driving back home. Richard talks fondly about Grandpa, and then the family toasts to his memory. You actually can't hear the dialogue, since the only audio option is for the director's commentary on this ending. Basically, the filmmakers thought that it was too sappy (since it was too sunny during the scene) and so they stopped filming.
• Alternate Ending #2 had the family handcuffed at the security office at the hotel. The security guard tells them that Olive is disqualified from the competition and that they are released, under the condition that they are banned from entering beauty pageants in California again. He releases the family members, and they start to walk out of the lobby. Sheryl places a crown on Richard's head, who in turn places it on Olive's head. As they exit the hotel, Richard asks "who wants ice cream?"
• Alternate Ending #3 had Olive running out into the lobby of the hotel, acting as a lookout, as you can hear everyone else arguing off-screen about stealing the trophy. She signals that the coast is clear, and so the others run out of the hotel carrying the trophy (while Frank wears the crown).
• Alternate Ending #4 is the same as #3, but it's extended. Title cards detail the family stealing the trophy from the room, running down the hall, running out of the hotel, running into the van, and driving off.

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Connections

Featured in The Sopranos: Made in America (2007)

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Soundtracks

Chicago
Written by Sufjan Stevens
Performed by Sufjan Stevens
Courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty Records

User Reviews

Watch this movie!

It's funny...go see it!

I'm really picky about films and this actually was original and humorous...smart and well acted. Unique.

Just go see it when it comes out. A few people I saw it with said it might be one of the best movies of the year. I completely agree with them. At first it seemed like the movie wasn't going to be funny at all...I mean can a mute and a suicidal man make a comedy? Yes they can!

It got funnier as it went along. I laughed so much I got tears in my eyes during the last dance scene.

The whole cast was great, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell playing really serious at first...when I went into the movie, I thought it was a drama at first...Steve Carell was what brought me to the film in the first place...and Alan Arkin is funny in anything he does...I don't want to say much about this film...I want people to go to it and be surprised...