Little Miss Sunshine

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2:26

Little Miss Sunshine

R

2006

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

216 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route.

Critics Consensus

Little Miss Sunshine succeeds thanks to a strong ensemble cast that includes Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, and Abigail Breslin, as well as a delightfully funny script.

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

01/24/2019

3/4

The best thing about American cinema is that besides the studio-assembled big ticket movies, there's also the flourishing indie film movement which keeps throwing up some delightfully refreshing movies.

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

03/24/2007

It doesn't exploit its characters for comedy or life lessons; it simply embraces the family members and lets them be themselves.

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Melissa Anderson

Time Out

02/03/2007

2/6

All indie-movie families may start out unhappy in their own way, but by the time the final credits roll, everyone remains complacent, confident of their brood's superiority.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

07/03/2023

4/4

...a continuously engrossing endeavor that gets off to a memorable (and instantly-captivating) start...

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/14/2020

3.5/4.0

The best film of 2006.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

08/11/2020

4/5

The most unlikely (and effective) feelgood movie you might ever see.

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Kristofer K

@kbkaizer May 14

The end performance will forever put a smile on my face. Teaches you the importance of family, even if they are a pain.

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Ronan T

@Rodrigooo Apr 16

A beautiful look at life through a young kid on a journey as a family discovers what it means to be alive and joyful

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Shannon G.

@iamseg52 Apr 10

Kept its quirky, jerky charm for 20 years. Still a delight, delving into eccentricity tempered by newly unearthed familial ties.

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Garrett B

@gmoney637 Apr 7

The assembled cast delivers in Little Miss Sunshine; a funny, poignant, road drama with an unforgettable charm.

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Levi J

@Lev77 Mar 29

This is one of my all-time favorites - it'll make you cry and laugh at the same time! Beautiful story about a not so beautiful family has great cast, music and screenplay!

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Mix R

@Foxxxy Mar 6

The film isn't afraid to push the boundaries in the most obscene, shocking, provocative ways, but somehow still manages to make those moments funny, even though you're kind of insecure whether you should be laughing at something like this.

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Jonathan Dayton

Director

Valerie Faris

Director

Greg Kinnear

Richard

Steve Carell

Frank

Toni Collette

Sheryl

Alan Arkin

Grandpa

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Little Miss Sunshine: Trailer 1

2:26

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Synopsis

The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route.

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Producer: Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa
Screenwriter: Michael Arndt
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Big Beach, Bona Fide Productions
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Some Sex)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 2006, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $59.9M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby