~~ Little Miss Sunshine ~~

It had been a while since I went to the movies. Have just been very pre-occupied with my writing (which thank God, is almost done!). But it had been a long week and I was yearning to take a break, so I took up the invite from Laura to go watch 'Little Miss Sunshine' in Cineworld.

....and I'm so glad I did!

The movie was just perfect. I dunno, maybe it was the correct mood for the correct movie at the correct time. I came out feeling warm and fuzzy, nice and happy. hehe...


'Little Miss Sunshine' is a comedy-drama, about a family's long road trip to California (if I remember correctly) to attend their young (6-7 years) daughter's beauty pageant. The movie starts off a bit slow and for the first 15 minutes, you are introduced to the quirky and distinct characters of all the 6 members of the family -

• the over-confident Dad, who is trying to sell his marketing pitch
• the rebellious Son, who hasn't spoken for 9 months and communicates with a pen & notebook
• the live-life-to-the-fullest Grandpa, who happens to be a drug addict
• the suicidal, gay Uncle
• the Mom, who holds the family together
• and the adorable specky Daughter, who is selected for the beauty pageant

The journey to California is filled with misadventures and unforeseen happenings, relating to each and every character of the movie. As the movie progresses, you begin to appreciate that the family, although problematic, is still a family enveloped with love and relations. The story touches so many aspects about life without you even realising when you're watching it. And it ends with a bang, which I thought couldn't be any better.

This is the type of movie that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Great performances from Greg Kinnear (who acted as the gay neighbour of Jack Nicholson in 'As Good As It Gets') as the Dad, and Toni Collette (from 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'In Her Shoes') as the Mom. Good soundtrack as well, and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't already seen it!

My favourite parts of the movie include everytime the family pushes the minivan while taking turns to hop into the van as it catches up to speed. Watch it and you'll know what I mean. ;)