“Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) is a dark comedy and coming-of-age film directed by Valerie Faris and Johnathan Dayton. The film features Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover, a spunky seven-year-old girl who has been invited to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant held in Redondo Beach, Calif. 

This film explores dynamics among the six family members as they learn to overcome challenges together and face life for what it is. In her innocence and persistence in her goals, Olive serves as a beacon of hope for the entire family as they encounter challenges, such as the death of a loved one, mental illness and financial troubles.

Despite the difficult circumstances they are going through before and throughout the trip, the Hoover family members decide to make the journey together in their iconic yellow Volkswagen to support Olive and fulfill her dreams of winning the pageant.

Along for the ride is her recently released uncle Frank, played by Steve Carell, who is recovering from a suicide attempt. Her pageant coach and grandfather Edwin, played by Alan Arkin, also accompanies the family, and his not-so-subtle heroin addiction serves as a crucial element for the film and strengthens the relationships within the family.

Although the film deals with mature themes of substance abuse, depression and suicide, the way the characters learn how to navigate these personal struggles is delivered with humor and heart shown through the support of their family. A particular scene that highlights one of these issues is when teenage son Dwayne — played by Paul Dano — discovers that he is colorblind, meaning his dreams of becoming a pilot will never reach fruition. 

Throughout the film, Dwayne vows to remain silent until he achieves his goal of becoming a pilot, and this vow is influenced by the toxic mindset of winners and losers created by his stepfather Richard, played by Greg Kinnear. When Dwayne realizes all the effort and personal training he has put into becoming a pilot are meaningless, he has a disturbing breakdown that causes the family to nearly be late to the pageant.

As he leaves the van, Dwanye speaks for the first time in the film, voicing his hatred for his family and their failures. The impact of the scene is captured in the way Dano brings the frustration of his character to the surface, breaking his vow of silence to reveal how much his dreams of being a pilot meant to him. 

The way Dwayne views his family and how they have handled their financial and emotional battles speaks to how he measures success, not wanting to view himself in the same negative light. When Olive consoles him and convinces him to come back to the van, the audience can feel the connection Dwayne has with his family. Despite their setbacks, Dwayne, Frank and the other family members grow beyond the success and failure mindset, changing their perspective of how to handle hard times.

The end of the film culminates these themes together as the Hoover family and the rest of the audience watches in shock at Olive and her “performance” at the pageant. After all the sacrifices the family has made to get Olive to the pageant, they know she does not stand a chance against the perfectly polished girls she is up against. Yet, Olive stays true to herself, and her family decides to join in a hilarious heartwarming moment set to “Super Freak” by Rick James.

Although the family’s dysfunctional dynamic is not completely resolved by the end of the film, many realistic aspects allow the audience to see themselves and their struggles in the Hoover family and share in their experiences.

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