Little Miss Sunshine [theaters & times]
R, 102 minutes
Opens Friday, August 18, nationwide
The “road picture” is, in many ways, the kiddie pool of the American filmmaking industry. Countless neophyte filmmakers have tested the waters of Hollywood with a cheap-and-easy road movie. The simple, anything-goes formula of a road picture makes it easy for just about anyone to attempt. Pick a character or two, put them in a car and have them drive across America, encountering as many random pit stops as they possibly can between point A and point B. End the picture when point B is reached.
That isn’t to say that all road pictures are simplistic or bad—many are classics. From Hope and Crosby in The Road to Singapore to Sarandon and Davis in Thelma & Louise, from Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story to Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, road films have been a backbone of the movie industry. Now, in the proud tradition of Easy Rider, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and … um, Road Trip, comes Little Miss Sunshine, the debut feature from longtime music-video directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
Made without studio help, the indie effort was snapped up for a pretty penny at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and rushed into theaters based largely on the strength of its fortuitous casting. Nestled amid an already impressive cast (Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin) is comedian Steve Carell. Having rocked last summer’s box office with his sleeper hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Carell is suddenly a hot Hollywood property. But fans looking for more of Carell’s wacky Virginal hijinks will, at least initially, be disappointed by his turn here.
Carell plays Frank, a suicidal, gay college professor. (“America’s No. 1 Proust scholar,” as he frequently puts it.) Taken out of the hospital after a wrist-slashing episode fails to produce the desired results, Frank is trucked back to his sister’s house in suburban Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, Frank finds himself surrounded by his none-too-helpful family, including unhappy housewife Sheryl (Collette), failed motivational speaker Richard (Kinnear), sullen, Nietzsche-reading teen Dwayne (Paul Dano), heroin-snorting, porn-addicted Grandpa (Arkin) and four-eyed, 7-year-old cutie Olive (Abigail Breslin).
Yes, it’s your typical, hyper-dysfunctional indie-movie family (which, come to think of it, gives the film two tried-and-true genres to fall back on). And when Olive wins a spot (by default) in the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant in California, the entire warped clan is prevailed upon to pile into a claptrap Volkswagen van and motor their way across the American Southwest on a misguided journey of self-discovery.
Despite its overused set-up, Little Miss Sunshine gets considerable mileage out of its professional cast and its low-key direction. The cast members work like a finely tuned machine. Dano (L.I.E.) manages to build quite an impression, even though his character has taken a vow of silence and communicates only in terse handwritten notes. (“I hate everyone” being a favorite.) Carell, given little opportunity to cut loose with his trademark goofball antics, proves himself a surprising dramatic actor. No doubt this will increase both his Hollywood stock-in-trade and the variety of his roles. However, the film’s loudest kudos are reserved for tiny Abigail Breslin (who first came on the scene in Signs). Pretty much the entire film hinges on her character’s innocence, vulnerability and sensitivity. Breslin’s round cherub face is able to convey an amazing variety of subtle emotions, making Olive the soulful heart of this nutty brood.
After the usual episodic roadside encounters (in which our family, predictably, learns that it’s their respective dysfunctions that unite them), Little Miss Sunshine arrives at the climactic kiddie beauty pageant. The expected swipes at prepubescent hoochie mamas are in full force, but the film’s script maintains enough dignity to pull it off. Olive’s family isn’t made out to be your typical overbearing stage parents. Instead, they’re a hopelessly naive bunch so distracted by their own self-loathing that they actually have no clue about the exploitative nature of beauty pageants. And it’s this naivete that transforms what could have been a too-crude finale into a gleeful tribute to individuality.
Though it is a comedy, Little Miss Sunshine maintains a surprisingly glum vibe for most of its runtime. Toward the end, the dry black humor is dumped in favor of some over-the-top antics that are fun, but not terribly realistic. Ultimately, the film has a hard time maintaining its structural integrity. It vacillates between darkly dramatic and ridiculously satirical. Is it a dysfunctional family drama? A madcap road movie? A vicious satire of the “win at all costs” nature of beauty pageants? Actually, it’s all three rolled up in one. Even so, most audiences will happily ride the film’s breakneck shifts in tone, enjoying the fine cast, clever punchlines, and ultimately loving tribute to American losers.
The Ant Bully (PG, 88 minutes) The summer of CGI toons continues. In this family fantasy, a young boy is magically reduced to micro-size after flooding an ant colony with his squirt gun. Our wee protagonist is then dragged into the ant colony and sentenced to hard labor for his trangressions. Eventually, of course, he learns a valuable lesson. Nicolas Cage, Paul Giamatti, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin and Bruce Campbell are among the impressive voice cast. Based on the kids book by John Nickle. (Devin O’Leary) Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Barnyard [theaters & times] (PG, 90 minutes) The summer of CGI toons continues. Here, writer/director Steve Oedekerk (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist) spins a tale of what happens in the barnyard when the farmer’s away. At first it’s all fun and games, but eventually a carefree cow named Otis (Kevin James) has to accept some responsibility and start running the farm. Voice cast includes Courteney Cox, Sam Elliot, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell and the suddenly ubiquitous Wanda Sykes (who kicked of the summer with the CGI toon Over the Hedge). The film is harmless enough, but a lot of people are kinda freaked out by the fact that Otis has udders. (D.O.) Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
The Descent [theaters & times] (R, 99 minutes) A caving expedition goes horribly wrong when a group of women become trapped underground. Things get a tad worse, however, when they discover they are being pursued by a strange breed of sub-human predators. Brit writer/director Neil Marshall (who gave us the classy Dog Soldiers) keeps the scares flying fast and furious, proving that a tight budget and a lack of stars is no impediment to creating a memorable horror flick. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
The Illusionist (PG-13, 110 minutes)
Edward Norton stars in this turn-of-the-century fantasy romance about a magician who falls in love with a woman of high social standing (Jessica Biel). When she becomes engaged to a Viennese prince, our magical lover uses his powers to win her back and bring down the royal house. Paul Giamatti is the Chief Inspector stuck with the unenviable task of finding out if our illusionist is a charlatan or a conjurer of extraordinary power. The film has an opulent, old-fashioned and deeply mysterious feel to it. A bit rarified for general audiences, but just the thing for art house crowds looking for pulpy fun. (D.O.) Coming Friday; check local listings
An Inconvenient Truth [theaters & times] (PG) Al Gore, now exuding a self-deprecating folksiness, makes the case for global warming in a documentary that may be the most alarming dog-and-pony show of all time. Using charts and graphs and even the occasional “Simpsons”-like cartoon, Gore lays out his argument, and the result is a sneak preview of “a nature hike through the Book of Revelations.” (Kent Williams) Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
John Tucker Must Die (PG-13, 87 minutes) Three vindictive ex-girlfriends of a serial cheater (Jesse Metcalf from “Desperate Housewives”) come up with a plan for revenge. They’ll set him up to fall in love with the new girl in town, just so they can watch his heart get broken. Your basic teen-aimed romantic comedy filled with as much PG-13 sexual innuendo as director Betty Thomas (Private Parts, Doctor Dolittle, I Spy) could cram between the credits. (D.O.) Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Lady in the Water (PG-13, 110 minutes) In M. Night Shyamalan’s emphatically metaphysical thriller, an apartment complex receives a visit from a sea nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) who wants to warn us that we’re in big trouble but everything’s going to be O.K. Paul Giamatti does his best as the building supervisor, but the movie never squares its highfalutin spiritual pretensions with the down-and-dirty need to entertain. (K.W.) Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Material Girls (PG) Hilary and Hayley Duff star in this minor variation on the Hilton sisters myth. The sisters play heiresses to a family cosmetics fortune who are given a wake-up call when a scandal and ensuing investigation strip them of their wealth. Suddenly, our celebutantes are living “The Simple Life.” I’m sure they both learn a valuable lesson. If you’re not a 12-year-old girl, you shouldn’t even be reading this capsule. (D.O.) Coming Friday; check local listings
Miami Vice (R, 146 minutes) Writer/director Michael Mann turns his mega-popular ‘80s TV series into a two-hour-plus movie. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx take over as Crockett and Tubbs, the two most conspicuous detectives in the history of undercover police work. It doesn’t look or feel much like the original series (no ice cream suits or visits from Phil Collins, sadly), but what’s on screen comes close to the best of Mann’s crime film output (Heat, Collateral). A preponderance of guns, sex and seedy atmosphere (not to mention a tough-to-follow storyline) make this a decidedly “adult” popcorn film. (D.O.) Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Monster House (PG, 91 minutes) This film uses motion-capture software to turn live-action performances into children’s-storybook animation, and the result is charming, albeit scary. Armed with Super Soakers, a trio of suburban kids launches an assault on a house that gobbles up anybody who crosses over the property line. (K.W.) Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
The Night Listener (R, 91 minutes) Robin Williams and Toni Collette star in this adaptation of the Armistead Maupin novel about a radio show host (Williams) who starts getting phone calls from his biggest fan, a young boy who is dying from a terminal illness. In time, however, questions of the young boy’s identity begin to plague the mistrustful talk show host. The story tries to be mysterious, but throws a few too many red herrings into the mix, making this feel like a stretched-out short story. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (PG-13, 150 minutes) Call it a nasty case of sequelitis, but this second installment in the Disney theme-park franchise is bigger, louder and absolutely determined to entertain. The action sequences more or less work, but the smaller, goofier moments come up short, and that includes Johnny Depp’s surprisingly unsurprising performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. (K.W.) Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Pulse (R, 87 minutes) This nearly shot-for-shot remake of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s haunting 2001 film Kairo replaces the original Asian cast with the usual group of teen TV stars (Kristen Bell from “Veronica Mars,” Ian Somerhalder from “Lost”) and tries a little harder to explain what the hell’s going on. It all has something to do with a suicide, a computer virus and a whole hell of a lot of ghosts. Despite a consistantly creepy mood, the slow-going film can’t quite match the original’s surreal freakiness. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4 and Regal Downtown Mall 6
Scoop (PG-13, 96 minutes) The newly revitalized Woody Allen continues to pump out the films. His new muse, Scarlett Johannson, stars as an American journalism student who falls in love with a handsome aristocrat (Hugh Jackman), who just happens to be the prime suspect in a string of serial killings. It’s a little scary to see Allen stepping back in front of the camera (he plays a bumbling magician helping our gal reporter in her investigation), but at least he hasn’t cast himself as the romantic lead. Considerably funnier than Match Point, but not quite as brilliant. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Snakes on a Plane (R, 106 minutes) Really, what could I possibly add? It’s mother *&#$@ing snakes on a mother*&#$@ing plane! Get yourself to a mother*&#$@ing theater! (D.O.) Coming Friday; check local listings
Step Up (PG-13, 98 minutes) You know that film where the uptight, classically trained dancer chick hooks up with the street-smart bad boy to wow the establishment with their radical mixture of ballet and hip-hop while falling in love with one another? Well, this is one of those. If you paid good money for Save the Last Dance, you’ll probably do the same here. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (PG-13, 100 minutes) Will Ferrell drags a bunch of pals (John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole, Sacha Baron Cohen) along for this goofball riff on NASCAR culture. Ferrell stars as a rebel NASCAR driver who suddenly faces stiff competition from a flamboyant French Formula-1 driver (Cohen from “Da Ali G Show”). There’s a continuing feeling that Farrell and friends are just making this thing up as they go along, but that doesn’t stop it form beeing quite funny on occasion. If you liked Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, you’ll be in good hands here, becas
ue it’s largely the same movie. (D.O.) Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Trust the Man (R, 103 minutes) Two middle-aged cads (David Duchovny and Billy Crudup) fight to save their respective relationships after years of lying, cheating and trial separations. Director Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints) recruits a lot of celebrity pals (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ellen Barkin, Eva Mendes, Garry Shandling, wife Julianne Moore) for a minor but affable variation on the typical romantic comedy formula. The serio-comic plot is as predictable as any, but the actors are top-shelf and the script genrates a decent amount of sympathy for its characters. (D.O.) Coming Friday; check local listings
World Trade Center (PG-13, 125 minutes) Oliver Stone strips away even the slightest hint of politics to tell the true story of two New York Port Authority policemen trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center collapse. At its heart an inspirational disaster film, the simple narrative concentrates on the officers (Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena) and their terrified wives (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello). This moving and deeply personal tale takes us back to 9/11 not to recall the trauma of that day, but to remind us that it was originally a human story and not a tale of governments, occupying forces and insurgents. There are a lot of Oscar nominations in this one. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
You, Me and Dupree (PG-13, 108 minutes) Owen Wilson (still hot off Wedding Crashers) stars as a down-and-out best man who moves in on two newlyweds (Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson). Since he got fired from his job for attending their wedding, they feel guilty and are happy to have him stay over for a day…or two …or three …or… Eventually, of course, Dupree’s seemingly endless couch-surfing ways cause friction with the new couple. A fine cast jokes it up in the same vein as Wedding Crashers. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Zoom (PG, 83 minutes) Tim Allen stars in this Happy Meal-sized mix of Spy Kids and The X-Men. In it, a washed-up superhero (Allen) is called out of retirement to transform a rag-tag group of super-powered kiddies into crimefighting machines at a private academy. It’s all pretty familiar ground at this point, but if you thought the Fantastic Four weren’t cutesy enough, this one might fit the bill. (D.O.) Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
