Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

A family with problems -- a married couple (Greg Kinnear, Toni Colette) who bicker about the fact that the husband's failure to make motivational speaking career work, a teenage son (Paul Dano) who's taken a vow of silence and hates being around his family, a salty grandpa (Alan Arkin) who was kicked out of a retirement home, and the wife's brother (Steve Carell), a scholar who recently attempted suicide -- are given something to hope for when little Olive (Abigail Breslin) becomes a contestant in a California kids' beauty contest. They just have to get there from Arizona within a short time frame.

This Oscar nominated comedy-drama has a nice, slice-of-life feel to it. My boss remarked that it is a laugh-out-loud film, the kind that is seldom made anymore, and that's true. Breslin is adorable, and I liked the sweet relationship between her and her foul-mouthed grandfather. Kinnear's character, with his "winners and losers" mentality is grating on the nerves in the beginning, but eventually, I grew to like him. I love Toni Colette (The Sixth Sense, Muriel's Wedding) -- she is different in every movie she's in.

What tripped me out were the other little girls in the contest near the end of the movie. I swear if I had a daughter, I would NEVER put her in something like that. The girls were slathered with makeup, wearing wigs and weaves, and in clothing more appropriate for grown women. I couldn't help but think about Jon Benet Ramsey each time one of the girls paraded herself in front of the audience.