Little Miss Sunshine - 7

I loved the honesty of the film. The film sets up the winner/losers dichotomy of contemporary identity as a false reality. Fortunately for the film it recognizes it and does a great job of critiquing it. The story revolves around 6-year-old Olive (played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin), who has won a spot in the Little Miss Sunshine contest in California. The quirky family, including a suicidal uncle and drug addicted grandfather, makes a road trip from Arizona for the weekend. All the situations collide once they get to California and realize that life is more tragic than anyone really wants to believe. And while the world tells you that everything is getting better, sometimes you just have to live with the simplicity of loving in spite of, and learning from, what life gives you. The final dance number takes the cake, you know something is up, but the actual scene is hilarious. While the film has a relatively happy ending, it only comes after all the characters have recognized their own flaws and learn that 'real' life is worth trying for. The family in this film is so crazy it made my family look...normal, that's not the right word- unless what is actually normal is flawed and foibled characters who at least try to love one another. I am assuming that is what resonated with most audiences.