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Tuesday, July 25
Little Miss Sunshine
Ray of Light & Dark
Trailers
If Todd Solondz and Steven Nerderbergh had a bespectacled lovechild it would probably be right at home directing this poor man's independent version of a Griswold road trip from hell, complete with car problems, money problems, and the dreaded query of what to do when a loved one passes on when passing through. Too bad the characters of Little Miss Sunshine aren't having as much fun as Clark W & Co, cause their dysfunction kinda takes away from the flimsy plot it's desperately trying to motor along on. Although the sextet esemble is quite thumcredible (Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, and the beyond adorable-domed Abigail Breslin), the characters they portray are too darn self-absorbed to even be in the same movie, let alone the same Volkswagen van. Co-directed by husband and wife music vid veterans Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton (the mos brills S Pumpkins' 'Tonight, Tonight' [vid] & RHCP's 'By The Way' [vid]), Sunshine is nothing more than an frivolous exercise in trying to be cool filmmaking. It's pretty much a bunch of nothing stitched together by a series of misfortunes that would even give Greg Focker a bit o' confidence. And where does it lead us? To some creepy kiddie beauty pageant (which reminds me how uncomfortable Jon Benet Ramsey and her nutty family made me feel) where the youngest does her best to top Napoleon Dynamite's sweet dance moves. I know the above is bit on the negative Nelly side, but there are plenty laffs to be had, hispecially for you plebeians. Hell, it's the best use of Carell's talent on screen since, well, ever! I know, I know, you think The 40 Year-Old Virgin [review] is the greatest thing since sliced Bobbit penis [kinda NSFW?], but I'm so darn funny, it's hard for any movie to make me laff. WHY GAWD, WHY? Couldn't u make me good at something else, like masturbating breakdancing?
Recommended for those who like: bit parts for Chloe, McDonalds drinking glasses, and the commitment doubter for Sparkle Motion
Possible Porno Name: Little Miss Lick Me Where The Sun Don't Shine
Unsatisfied with this? Netflix any of the Griswold misadventures or Hairspray [Trailer]
Apt MPupil3: 'We're On A Road To Nowhere' by The Talking Heads [d]
IMDb Sweeney: Matt Winston, who plays one of the bestest screen emcees in recent memory, is son of make-up and special effects wizard Stan (A.I., T2, etc). Also, writer Michael Arndt's only other screen credit is being Matthew Broderick's assistant on the shoot of '97's Addicted to Love
John Grisham's Jizzum (aka Verdict): I struggled long and hard on this one, but ultimately, it's not that memorable, so Sum Merit But No Stinkin Badges
until next time the balcony is clothed...
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