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Little Miss Sunshine
Aug. 20th, 2006 11:37 pmPer ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
emberslog and buffyanntator's separate but enthusiastic recommendations, I finally saw Little Miss Sunshine with my pal, Wales, today.
It may be the best film I've seen all year. If not the best, certainly the funniest and the most refreshingly honest. It is a film about a struggling family who drives their little girl in a broken down bus to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pagent. And trust me on this much, it is not what you think. A black comedy with hints of satire and realism. Made me happy and comforted me. Have tucked it away as one of my "happy films".
The critic for Entertainment Weekly, who is a bit of a sourpuss, compares it unfavorably with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It's nothing like that film, except for the family bit. Where BFGW was manipulative and stereotypical, Little Miss plays with stereotypes and throws them in your face.
I can't say anything more about this movie without spoiling you. Except that I adored it.
And that it is an intelligent comedy - another distinction from BFGW, which really wasn't. I liked BFGW, but it was not an intelligent comedy. Little Miss - has a couple of humorous treats for intellectuals without being pretentious. Another rarity in this day and age. This is a thinking person's comedy with something in it to make everyone laugh with giddy delight.
Again, the best movie I've seen this year, including the ones I rented on DVD.
Other flicks:
Constantine - not as bad as I expected. But somewhat silly over-all. Visually stunning in places, stupid in others. And yes, I still think Keanu Reeves was miscast - too pretty and clean-cut for the role of rugged world-weary demon exorcist. Rachel Weize and the woman who played Gabriel (whose name I've spaced - but you know her as the witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
are fantastic. If they'd cast Scean Bean, Clive Owen, James Marsters, or Nicolas Cage - I think it would have worked better.
V for Vendetta - brilliant film, but disturbingly so. Still not sure I'm up to writing a review on it yet.
emberslog and buffyanntator's separate but enthusiastic recommendations, I finally saw Little Miss Sunshine with my pal, Wales, today. It may be the best film I've seen all year. If not the best, certainly the funniest and the most refreshingly honest. It is a film about a struggling family who drives their little girl in a broken down bus to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pagent. And trust me on this much, it is not what you think. A black comedy with hints of satire and realism. Made me happy and comforted me. Have tucked it away as one of my "happy films".
The critic for Entertainment Weekly, who is a bit of a sourpuss, compares it unfavorably with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It's nothing like that film, except for the family bit. Where BFGW was manipulative and stereotypical, Little Miss plays with stereotypes and throws them in your face.
I can't say anything more about this movie without spoiling you. Except that I adored it.
And that it is an intelligent comedy - another distinction from BFGW, which really wasn't. I liked BFGW, but it was not an intelligent comedy. Little Miss - has a couple of humorous treats for intellectuals without being pretentious. Another rarity in this day and age. This is a thinking person's comedy with something in it to make everyone laugh with giddy delight.
Again, the best movie I've seen this year, including the ones I rented on DVD.
Other flicks:
Constantine - not as bad as I expected. But somewhat silly over-all. Visually stunning in places, stupid in others. And yes, I still think Keanu Reeves was miscast - too pretty and clean-cut for the role of rugged world-weary demon exorcist. Rachel Weize and the woman who played Gabriel (whose name I've spaced - but you know her as the witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
are fantastic. If they'd cast Scean Bean, Clive Owen, James Marsters, or Nicolas Cage - I think it would have worked better.
V for Vendetta - brilliant film, but disturbingly so. Still not sure I'm up to writing a review on it yet.
