Little Miss Sunshine

Olive, brimming with optimism; Dwayne, a temperamental teenager; an eccentric grandfather; a father convinced of the power of success; a nervous mum; and Uncle Frank, newly discharged from a psychiatric hospital, all have one mission: to reach the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant on time.

A typical family dinner at the Hoovers’ turns into an unusual situation when Frank, Mum’s brother, joins them at the table as he tries to recover from a nervous breakdown. While the adults attempt to gloss over the reason for his presence, little Olive immediately tries to engage him in conversation and asks him direct questions.

When Olive is accepted into the beauty pageant, the family decides to travel there together. In their yellow van, utterly different worlds collide, and the long journey across America quickly turns into a series of surprising events. Humour and warmth mix with moments of honesty, while the confined space forces the characters to confront one another, as well as their own expectations of life.

Did you know that…

…the film’s screenplay was inspired by a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger? His remark about “losers” was reworked by the filmmakers, who set out to show that the notion is just a construct imposed by the system.