Little Miss Sunshine is the stunning story of a dysfunctional family determined to get their daughter, Olive, into a beauty agent across the country, and decide to take the journey west in their problematic Volkswagen van. The main character, played by Steve Carell, is Olive's suicidal uncle who is forced to go on this trip because he is no longer trusted to be alone.
The movie follows the family as they drive from Albuquerque, NM to California and invites the audience to laugh at the misfortunes that befall the family. Some of these misfortunes are comical, like when the starter in the family van breaks, and they have to jump into car, as they do not want to stop it. However most aspects of the movie incorporate dark humor, like when the grandfather dies and they sneak his body out of the morgue, or when son realizes that his dreams of going to the air-force is impossible due to his colorblindness. Altogether through its humor and disappointments, Little Miss Sunshine demonstrates the importance and strength of family, even one as seemingly flawed as the protagonist's.
Little Miss Sunshine embodies Aristotle's definition of a comedy because it utilizes an imperfect, sympathetic comedic hero who has wishy-washy morals and dark humor. Throughout the film our hero deals with everyday sort of issues, mainly: depression, death, and getting along with extended family. Additionally, by the end of the story the main character undergoes a change in fortune, transforming from a depressed, suicidal man who has alienated himself and gets no joy from life, to a slightly less depressed uncle who has established a sense of belonging by loving and being loved by his family.
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