Little Miss Sunshine
2006
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Writer: Michael Arndt
101 Minutes
Three things happened to Little Miss Sunshine. One, writer Michael Arndt quit his job as Matthew Broderick’s assistant to write a story. Two, it took five years for this story to be made into a film. Three, the film grossed 100 million dollars and took home two Oscars, one for Mr. Arndt himself.
One would think an assistant who reads hundreds of scripts a week would have an idea that could put audiences in the seats. But, this story wasn't pretty.
More so, it seems illogical that a great, emotional, compelling story would take five years to make when it had no explosions or special effects or car chases. But, it might not have made money.
Yet, it did both. It was pretty and beneficial. Instant success. Little Miss Sunshine did well at the box office, great with the critics, and touched millions of Americans.
It’s because it was real.
From conversations about 'A la Mode' to plastic Burger King cups, Little Miss Sunshine is a true film about real people. We can relate because we know these characters. We know the emo kid who doesn’t talk. We’ve heard the judgmental father. And we love the outspoken grandfather.
We know them. We love them.
In the scene above, Dwayne (Paul Dano) and Frank (Steve Carell) talk outside the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Contest. During a conversation about suffering, Dwayne says this:
“Fuck beauty contests. Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... Fuck that. And fuck the Air Force Academy. If I want to fly, I'll find a way to fly. You do what you love, and fuck the rest.”
That’s real talk.
This film is filled with moments of honesty and truth. Even Frank’s reply to Dwayne’s confession is, “glad you’re talking again, Dwayne. You’re not nearly as stupid as you look.” It’s funny, but also real.
Often times, life can be a beauty contest. Anyone that reads People or US Weekly can testify to what the popular kids are doing this week. Suburban neighborhoods are filled with expensive cars, huge mansions, and tapered lawns. And the amount of money we spend on clothes, shoes, or make-up could feed small countries for years to come. Like I said, life can be a beauty contest.
But when you get a film like Little Miss Sunshine, it all goes away. There is no competition in this film. There are only simple truths about the human condition. It was real and helped us escape the beauty contest we're all living in.
It’s why we watch films. It’s why this film did well. It puts everyone on an even playing field, capable of an emotional connection to fictional characters that represent ourselves.
We are all flawed, just like Frank and Dwayne. And we often want to say, “Fuck beauty contests.”
Little Miss Sunshine was a story that meant something. Often times in Hollywood, we rarely get a film that has a story. But, we need both. We need the explosions, special effects, and car chases. We need Michael Bay. Though, we need these pieces of art as well. We need stories that are true and honest, helping us understand ourselves with each frame that speeds by.
Michael Arndt deserved the Oscar for this film. He wrote something that made us feel, escaping the beauty contests of life. Within this medium, is there anything more real?
