Little Miss Sunshine

2006
R
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

529K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer0:17

Coming-of-Age Dark Comedy Road Trip Comedy Drama

A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

Directors
- Jonathan Dayton
- Valerie Faris
Writer
- Michael Arndt
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

529K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,478

199

Directors
- Jonathan Dayton
- Valerie Faris
Writer
- Michael Arndt
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 Oscars
- 72 wins & 112 nominations total

Videos9

What Roles Has Steve Carell Been Considered For?

Clip 3:31

Samberg Sets 69 Cent Sundance Record

Clip 0:41

Little Miss Sunshine Scene: He Started It

Photos272

+ 267

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The production crew made sure Abigail Breslin really was listening to music in her headphones to keep her from hearing Alan Arkin's profanity-laced scenes.

Goofs
When at the motel, Sheryl reads off the three room numbers they are staying in as 11, 12, and 13. When Grandpa and Olive go into their room and shut the door, though, the number reads 208.

Quotes
Grandpa: A real loser is someone who's so afraid of not winning he doesn't even try.

Alternate versions
The DVD contains four alternate endings:
Alternate Ending # 1 had the family stop at a rest stop the next day as they're driving back home. Richard talks fondly about Grandpa, and then the family toasts to his memory. You actually can't hear the dialogue, since the only audio option is for the director's commentary on this ending. Basically, the filmmakers thought that it was too sappy (since it was too sunny during the scene) and so they stopped filming.
Alternate Ending #2 had the family handcuffed at the security office at the hotel. The security guard tells them that Olive is disqualified from the competition and that they are released, under the condition that they are banned from entering beauty pageants in California again. He releases the family members, and they start to walk out of the lobby. Sheryl places a crown on Richard's head, who in turn places it on Olive's head. As they exit the hotel, Richard asks "who wants ice cream?"
Alternate Ending #3 had Olive running out into the lobby of the hotel, acting as a lookout, as you can hear everyone else arguing off-screen about stealing the trophy. She signals that the coast is clear, and so the others run out of the hotel carrying the trophy (while Frank wears the crown).
Alternate Ending #4 is the same as #3, but it's extended. Title cards detail the family stealing the trophy from the room, running down the hall, running out of the hotel, running into the van, and driving off.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby/Little Miss Sunshine/Shadowboxer/Miami Vice/The Night Listener (2006)

Soundtracks
Chicago
Written by Sufjan Stevens
Performed by Sufjan Stevens
Courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty Records

User reviews1K

Review

Featured review

10/10

The Best Film of 2006-it has aged extremely well.

I am still shocked that this film wasn't nominated for direction at the Oscars and that it lost best picture to the overwrought The Departed. This is film captures far more of life as lived in single scenes than most films capture in their entire runtime. It is not just the great script that has great comedic bits and utterly real characters. It's not just the pitch perfect cast. This is a great *visual* film as well because of the traveling scenes and the quirky design sense.

The direction is extremely tight. Whether it is how the opening dinner sequence delineates character and their relationships-via clothing and seating arrangements-economically or how they kept the interior of the van visually fresh the film is filled with splendid and meaningful images. I think the script and the acting are so good that people just didn't notice the visual niceties the film captures. There's even a couple of hard jokes to land-i.e. Porn in the trunk-that the directors managed to make work far better than the story beat does on the page.

I think the film's theme around the cruelty of the rat race and the insane pressure we put on ourselves because of "competition" land better in 2022. Maybe I am just getting older but Richard is a bit of an jerk who did need to learn to chill. I like that the film isn't anti-competition per se but encourages us to keep things in perspective.