Little Miss Sunshine (Widescreen DVD-Video)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C
Though it
has received some critical praises, even from our own theatrical critic, I have
never been a fan of Music Video directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
and was no fan of their feature film debut Little
Miss Sunshine (2006). First, a
positive review:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4054/Little+Miss+Sunshine+(Theatrical+Film+Review)
Now a not
so enthusiastic one. The road movie is
supposed to be about the individual trying to break free of the status quo and
find yourself. In many bad 1980s films
all the way to the recent misstep RV,
reviewed elsewhere on this site, the idea has been to try and combine the
family unit and the road cycle together.
When Barry Levinson’s Rain Man
did this, it worked because it was about the characters discovering each
other. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
found quirky humor and is the exception to the rule of such a film even
half-working. Otherwise, it has been
about self-hate and swimming in dysfunctional stupidity as if that were normal
and healthy.
I like
the actors in the film, including Greg Kinnear, the underrated Toni Collette,
Alan Arkin, comic actor of the moment Steve Carell, Beth (Donnie Darko) Grant and up and coming Paul Dano (L.I.E., The Girl Next Door) all give good performances. Abigail Breslin is the newcomer who gets the
family to go to the talent show that feels too chillingly like “Jon Benet
Ramsey Mania” for our own good.
Unfortunately, the film is not much better than most of its commercial
in that it starts things it never finishes.
Dano’s
character Dwayne has the most potential as a depressed young man make more so
by reading Nietzsche and refusing to talk until he can become a pilot. Unfortunately, there is no character study
here and as soon as he talks, the film gets into trouble. It is bad enough Dayton & Faris are among
the most overrated Music Video figures in record industry and MTV history, but
it gets worse when they try a full-length narrative. Despite being scripted by first-time writer
Michael Arndt, this is so much of what we have seen before, badly done and quickly
forgettable when all is over.
The only
thing more wasted than the cast is the time of the viewer, but now DVD will
give more people a chance to choose for themselves. If you must watch it, just don’t have your
hopes up too high.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is soft throughout with muted colors as
shot by cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt, A.S.C., who has not lensed a film this
relatively serious since Mystic Pizza
(which I liked much better) back in 1988.
Since then, it has been a bunch of TV projects and commercial features
with no point. The transfer is part of
the problem with the image, though Blu-ray will only improve this so much. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is dialogue-based
with weak surrounds and often awkward and misplaced music from all over the
place. The combination is better than
the awful Full Screen disaster also included.
Extras
include two full length audio commentary track by directors Jonathan Dayton and
Valerie Faris alone and with writer Michael Arndt, 4 Alternate Endings with
optional commentary by directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, "Till
the End of Time" performed by DeVotchka from the soundtrack, soundtrack
plug and trailers. That it took five tries
to get an ending that worked (for them anyhow) goes to show you want a mess
this really is. All in all, a cult item
at best.
- Nicholas Sheffo
