You've probably heard by now that this is one of the year's best movies, and it is. It's the story of the Hoover family, who find themselves making a road trip to California in a VW van so that 7-year-old Olive (Abigail Breslin) can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.
The timing couldn't be much worse. Mom Cheryl (Toni Collette) has just taken in her brother, Frank (Steve Carell), to live with them after his recent suicide attempt; husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a would-be self-help guru waiting for news on a book deal that he thinks will propel him to stardom. Teenaged son Dwayne (Paul Dano) wallows in gloom and has refused to speak for months, and Grandpa (Alan Arkin) is a heroin-snorting grump with nothing kind to say about anyone except Olive, who he is helping with her pageant talent routine. None of the Hoovers (except Olive) is very excited about the trip, but everyone has to go. Richard's the only one who can drive a stick shift; neither Frank, Dwayne, nor Grandpa can be left alone at home. And that's all I'm going to say about the story, because it's filled with unexpected twists and jokes that should come as surprises.
The cast is uniformly excellent; it's one of the best ensemble performances of the year, with every pair of characters having a completely believable relationship. The writing (screenplay by Michael Arndt) is sharp, and everytime you think you see a cliche approaching, it's deftly avoided. (There is, for instance, a poolside argument between two characters that does not end with one of them falling into the pool.) Seemingly unimportant details pay off in beautiful and unexpected ways, and the ending is neither too Hollywood-sweet nor too indie-cynical.
Just go. You'll be glad you did.
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