In this movie, for the first time, we see a different concept than our American family, all members working together towards Olive's game. There is no deliberate sensationalism, and even some dark humor, completely, this family makes me feel the warm power of family. The main line in the film is that the little girl Oliver accidentally entered the "Little Sunshine Beauty" beauty contest. Grandpa, parents, brother, and uncle inexplicably gathered a large family and drove a van to California to accompany the Olympics. Livia participated in the competition, and the problems in their respective lives collided and intertwined as a branch line, and a series of unexpected stories happened on the road. The entire film averages 8 minutes for one event, one major event and 2 to 3 minor events, averaging 2 minutes each. The plot is compact, with contrasting rhythm and ups and downs.
What impressed me the most was the yellow van. When starting, everyone needs to push together, and once you start running, you can't brake at will. The van with a malfunctioning gear has driven a lot of plot development, and I think it also has a certain symbolic meaning. Dilapidated cars represent a poor family environment. Grandpa is an addict full of dirty words; father is an empty talker who succeeds in lectures but is facing bankruptcy; A scumbag who tried to commit suicide; my brother was a pessimistic bastard who only wanted to become a pilot but found himself colorblind during the journey. "There will always be a few losers in a family" may be a consolation, but in this family, everyone except Olive can be called a loser.
Olive's brother Dwayne wanted to go to flight school, but his parents didn't allow him, so he swore a dumb oath and refused to communicate with the world if he wasn't allowed to go to flight school. This may be a magnified version of the problem many teens have with their parents, where kids refuse to communicate and parents don't care. Olive's uncle, the most famous American expert on Proust (the author of the stream-of-consciousness novel "Reminiscence of the Time Is Like Water"), was emotionally unsuccessful enough to have suicidal thoughts. Olive's father Richard, who has no investment in selling his theory of success, struggled to maintain a family's life, but continued to teach Olive how to become successful. Olive's grandfather, who openly expresses his dependence on sex and drugs, is manic and pessimistic, but helps Olive to prepare for talent show from beginning to end, showing a kind and wise side in front of Olive. And Olive herself, although not really a "standard" beauty, with glasses at the bottom of glass bottles, cute baby fat and strange dance performances, maybe it was a coincidence that she was selected for the competition from the beginning, and there was no hope of winning. . But everyone in the family is also willing to do their best for her.
But it was this family who lacked communication, had constant conflicts, and ridiculed each other. They gathered together for Olive to participate in the competition, and gathered in one direction. Until the end of the film, everyone re-acquainted with the family and re-acquainted themselves. It turns out that there are so many people's efforts behind his growth. Although traditionally, we believe that parents make compromises and sacrifices for their children as inevitable. In the general Western society, there is basically no such default tradition. Parents do not need to live for their children in the second half of their lives, and children do not need to interfere too much in their parents' lives. Responsibilities and obligations come first, and at the same time, you need to live your own life well.
This society gives us our own position, winner or loser, excellent or mediocre, in front of the family, not divided by money and status. If life is like the van that can't stop and wait for us, it's the family that pulls us up one by one.
The joyful and crazy dance of the Olive family at the end was the release of all the emotions along the way, and the result of the game was no longer important. The important thing is that everyone has grown through this road trip. The definition of them in a beauty contest, and the opinions of others about them, are not as important as being who they are. There is a question, what exactly is a home. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I can't come up with an answer that satisfies me. Now I think it may be a bit reliable. Home is accumulated on your growth path, and all your relatives work together.
By the way, the actors of this family, especially Ben Kingsley who plays grandpa and Paul Dano who plays brother, are an active textbook for excellent acting skills.
View more about Little Miss Sunshine reviews
