It is Sundance Film Festival recognized, but if you were looking for a summer indie with a cast of aspiring unknowns and a twisted plot, Little Miss Sunshine beautifully delivers the opposite. Its cast includes veteran actors Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, and Alan Arkin as well as funny man Steve Carrel in what could be called his first dramatic role, and while the plot relies on intense characterization and close attention to detail, its simplicity keeps the story authentic.
It is the tale of a highly dysfunctional family making a road trip from New Mexico to California in order to enter their young daughter, Olive, into a beauty pageant. While such a summary sounds like the makings of a quirky, but painfully clich