Little Miss Sunshine

Starring: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin

Directed by: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris

My rating: Euphoria

I haven't been too big on the independent movie scene recently. Most indy films don't sound that interesting to me. However, after reading an article in Entertainment Weekly about Little Miss Sunshine and hearing all the good buzz I decided to give this one a chance.

Glad I did.

Growing up my mom had a VW bug that was a temperamental piece of you-know-what. The clutch was bad, sometimes it didn't start without a push, and most of the time the windows didn't roll down. So imagine my delight when I watched Little Miss that they had a VW bus with as many ailments as my own families car. Or that the parents fought about money as much as mine did when I was young. I could go on and on, because this is a movie that strikes a cord. While these are the things that spoke out to me, I know there are other things about the family that will resonate with each person watching the film. And in the end, even though the family had all these problems, they were still there for each other, which is what a family should be about.

The music and direction are expertly done for an independent film, making the experience much more enjoyable than a standard low-budget flick. Plus, the acting is A+ by everyone. You soon forget the actors names and start seeing them as family members, which is tough to do if you're Steve Carrell or Alan Arkin.

If you grew up in a perfect family than perhaps you shouldn't watch Little Miss Sunshine. Otherwise, be prepared to laugh and to be moved as you relate this movie family to your own.