By Sue Braun

Sometimes I get tired of family dramas where all of the characters take themselves and their dysfunctions so seriously. In these kinds of movies, the parents are often self-absorbed in their lives and their work, with little idea of what their children are doing; meanwhile the children are living out their teen rebellion with Goth makeup, wild friends or plenty of sex and drugs. And in the end, everyone stays where they are, mired in their own junk and seemingly happy to stay there.

Little Miss Sunshine looked like it had all the potential to be the kind of movie I just described. A father who is a motivational speaker who can’t motivate people, a teenage son who hasn’t spoken a word in 9 months, a grandfather who snorts cocaine in the bathroom and a brother-in-law who just tried to commit suicide because his lover left him. 

But just wait a few minutes… and you will see a movie unfold before you that will leave you holding your sides from laughter and wishing your family could be just a little nuts like the Hoover family. I found this movie to be quirky, odd and totally engaging and likeable. By the end of the movie you can look past all of the characters’ dysfunctions and you see how much this family loves each other, take care of each other, and actually enjoy each other. And you end up loving and enjoying them too! I won’t tell you much more about the movie other than it has been a long time since I’ve been to a movie where everyone in the theater (including me!) laughed so long and hard throughout the movie. You will walk out with a lighter heart, wanting to talk about this movie with your friends and family. Go see it!

Trailer
Official Movie Site