Little Miss Sunshine **** (2006, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin) – Classic Movie Review 12,428

Alan Arkin won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his scene-stealing performance in the delightful 2006 American bitter-sweet comedy road film Little Miss Sunshine.

Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in the delightful 2006 American comedy road film Little Miss Sunshine, the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, with a screenplay by first-time writer Michael Arndt.

Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin film star as members of a family taking the youngest to compete in a child beauty pageant.

Abigail Breslin plays Olive, the daughter of Richard (Greg Kinnear) and Sheryl (Toni Collette) and the youngest of the Hoover family. An aspiring beauty queen coached by Richard’s foul-mouthed, heroin-snorting father Edwin (Alan Arkin), Olive learns she has qualified for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, being held in Redondo Beach, California in two days. The whole family goes on the 800-mile (1,300 km) road trip in their yellow Volkswagen van. Will they ever get there, and on time?

Produced by Big Beach Films on a budget of US $8 million, it began filming on 6 June 2005 for 30 days in Arizona and Southern California. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2006, and it was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the US on 26 July 2006, becoming a big hit, earning $101 million.

It is a very good idea for a movie, marvellously carried out. Mostly it’s all about the script and the acting. It can effortlessly boast a lovely, warm humorous screenplay, tremendous, rather adorable performances, especially by crowd-pleasing Abigail Breslin and scene-stealing Alan Arkin, and expert direction.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Arndt won Best Original Screenplay and Arkin won Best Supporting Actor. Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

There was a bit of a bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival when several studios placed bids, but Fox Searchlight Pictures won, offering $10.5 million, plus 10 per cent of all the gross revenues.

The cast are Greg Kinnear as Richard Hoover, Steve Carell as Dr Frank Ginsberg, Toni Collette as Sheryl Hoover, Paul Dano as Dwayne Hoover, Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover, Alan Arkin as Edwin Hoover, Bryan Cranston as Stan Grossman, Beth Grant as Pageant Official Jenkins, Wallace Langham as Kirby, Matt Winston as Pageant MC, Julio Oscar Mechoso as Mechanic, Paula Newsome as Linda, Dean Norris as State Trooper McCleary, and Mary Lynn Rajskub as Pageant Assistant Pam.

Alan Wolf Arkin (March 26, 1934 – June 29, 2023).

Alan Arkin died at his home in Carlsbad, California, on June 29, 2023, aged 89. His eight-decade career brought him an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,428

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