I finally got a chance to see Little Miss Sunshine. I say finally, because I spent four hours in a wait list line at The Sundance Film Festival and was ultimately turned away. It was the hottest ticket at the festival (audience reaction was resoundingly positive) and snagged the biggest deal this year (I don't remember the exact number–I believe it was in the range of $10 million). How is the movie? Very entertaining. Perhaps another appropriate title would have been National Lampoon's American Beauty.

Little Miss Sunshine opens with concerned Sheryl (Toni Collette) picking up her depressed brother Frank from the hospital after his suicide attempt proves unsuccessful. She takes him to her house where he comes face to face with her eccentric family. They include husband Richard (Greg Kinnear), son Dwayne (Paul Dano), daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin), and the father in law (Alan Arkin).

Young Olive has aspirations of winning a beauty pageant in California, so Richard packs the entire eccentric family, much to the dismay of a reluctant Dwayne and Frank, into the van to take the little one to Redondo Beach to compete for the crown. During the course of the road trip, all kinds of craziness ensues.

Why the National Lampoon's American Beauty title? Well for starters, Little Miss Sunshine is a road movie in very much the same way Vacation was a road movie. This isn't go for broke, slapstick comedy, but it certainly has a rhythm that's very much in keeping with Harold Ramis' film. As for the American Beauty comparison, there's no denying the dysfunction quality of these truly offbeat characters. Little Miss Sunshine isn't as dark or cynical as Sam Mendes' exceptional film, but there certainly is no shortage of nutty characters searching for the meaning of it all.

The cast is outstanding right across the board. Greg Kinnear is the perfect prick, but he isn't without his heartfelt moments. A terrific balance. Steve Carell is splendidly dry as the suicidal Frank. Through this crazed road trip, he realizes that perhaps there are people that are worse off than him. Veteran actor Alan Arkin is laugh out loud hilarious as Grandpa, a foul-mouthed, heroin snorting blow hard. While the grizzled old man, he maintains a certain charm and provides the film with some of it's biggest laughs. Toni Collette continues her streak of interesting performances. Here, she leaves the make up at home and creates a subtle portrait of a middle aged woman who appears worn down by life. Paul Dano is exceptionally odd as Dwayne, a young man who's taken an oath of silence and refuses to speak again until he realizes his dream of flying for the military. Finally, props to young Abigail Breslin. She's sweet, sincere, and charming, and she deserves extra props for simply going for it in the film's obligatory (but effective) feel good climax.

There is absolutely no doubt that the this stellar ensemble is responsible for this film being as entertaining as it is. Michael Arndt's screenplay is strong to a point, but often it struggles hard to be hip and smart, and there are scenes in the movie that stop the flow of the plot dead in it's tracks. Look no further than a lame moment in which Richard and his family are pulled over on the freeway. There's supposed to be an element of tension here for a purposely undisclosed reason, but that tension never surfaces. I won't go any further but to say that the ending of this scene in particular is just plain stupid. It sort of reminded me of that scene in Dumb and Dumber when Harland Williams' cop pulls Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels over for speeding. Thankfully, this particular sequence doesn't end with the cop taking a swig of piss, but it's still a seemingly unnecessary scene.

Having said that, there are moments in Little Miss Sunshine that shouldn't really work, but ultimately do. Take for instance a scene in which the family has to make an untimely stop at the hospital. This sequence could have failed miserably had it been played in a broad stroke, but it works surprisingly well. Again, this is because directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have the good sense to let the cast do their thing.

There are several moments of tenderness to be found in Little Miss Sunshine as well, including a sweet moment in which Olive approaches her distraught brother to offer up some words of wisdom, and instead simply hugs him and puts her head on his shoulders. A wonderfully warm scene.

Little Miss Sunshine isn't without it's edgier moments either. There's a certain kind of brutal truth to it all. Watch as Frank begins to explain to Olive why he tried to end his life while sitting at the dinner table. It's an uncomfortable scene to be sure, but it's punctuated by a sly sense of humor. Sometimes, laughter is the best medicine.

I'd also like to make note of the R rating. As I watched this movie, I felt as if perhaps there was a more accessible film in there. They could have gotten the PG-13 but to do so, the film makers would have been forced to delete a hilarious sequence in which Alan Arkin freely uses the F word. Imagine Planes, Trains, and Automobiles without Steve Martin's classic rental car speech. So, we're left with an adult movie with a lot of stuff in there that's sort of kid friendly.

Finally, I have to comment on the climax of Little Miss Sunshine, one that owes a great debt to Napoleon Dynamite (albeit not quite as funny). I couldn't help but smile even though I sort of knew where things were headed. And may I just say, Little Miss Sunshine solidifies what I've always felt about kid beauty pageants. They're downright creepy. There's just a grand sort of fakeness to it all and it's unbelievably disconcerting. This movie really captures that with it's shrewd indictment of such pageants. As I watched this stuff, I couldn't help but think of that now haunting stock footage of Jean Benay Ramsay all dressed up, playing to the crowd. It's a world I just can't understand. Is this stuff really for the kids, or is for the parents.

I really liked Little Miss Sunshine a lot, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a little bit more. I suppose what irked me most was the film's lack of transformations. I guess the film makers are suggesting that this road trip will lead these folks to become better people. I'm all for ambiguity, but it sure would have been nice to see more of a character arc like the one on display in, say, Sideways. Still, there is more than enough to recommend here. Little Miss Sunshine's outstanding ensemble alone makes this film worth checking out.