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Little Miss Sunshine

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for Little Miss Sunshine R 2006 1h 42m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.
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Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine

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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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Critics Reviews

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Namrata Joshi Outlook 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. Rated: 3/4 Jan 24, 2019 Full Review Brian Tallerico UGO It doesn't exploit its characters for comedy or life lessons; it simply embraces the family members and lets them be themselves. Mar 24, 2007 Full Review Melissa Anderson Time Out 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. Rated: 2/6 Feb 3, 2007 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a continuously engrossing endeavor that gets off to a memorable (and instantly-captivating) start... Rated: 4/4 Jul 3, 2023 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The best film of 2006. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 14, 2020 Full Review Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) The most unlikely (and effective) feelgood movie you might ever see. Rated: 4/5 Aug 11, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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FutureFilmCareerHopefully . I thought this movie was very beautiful and symbolic. Not only was the acting perfect, and the story line emotional and well writ, it made you feel things. For the characters and just for the story. I think it's a relatable movie in any sense. Not only was the soundtrack great, so was the character devoplment and just it was great. I would watch again just to feel the emotions I felt while I was watching it. It felt so raw. Another amazing performance by Steve Carrel and all the actors. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/03/25 Full Review VITALII H UNDERWHELMING BUT THE ENDING WAS WORTH IT! THE WAY THE ENTIRE FAMILY (WHICH IS A TOTAL MESS TO SAY THE LEAST) GOT UP ON THAT STAGE AND SUPPORTED OLIVE WAS ADORABLE. YOU KINDA DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT AND WHEN YOU FIND OUT THEN YOU'RE LIKE WTF... A FAMILY MEMBER D*ES? A 15 YO SON HAS A MENTAL BREAKDOWN? AIN'T NOTHING STAYING IN THEIR WAY TO GET TO THAT PAGEANT. I BELIEVE MOST OF THE PPL LIKE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE OF NOSTALGIA, THEY'VE SEEN IT BEFORE A LONG TIME AGO AND NOW IT'S STILL THERE. NEH Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/26/25 Full Review Letícia R You can feel every character and embrance them, in their on way. The atmosphere goes through pain to love. It is a lovely movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/25 Full Review Camille L. Been wanting to watch for some time. So glad I did, new favorite movie for me Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/19/25 Full Review Jens B And once again, my pile of shame has shrunk a little bit. I've been wanting to see "Little Miss Sunshine" for quite some time, ever since I discovered it in a thick film tome as a child. Now the moment has finally arrived: What a hilarious, emotional, touching, melancholic, colorful, life-affirming, loving, absurd, honest film! The cast is perfectly cast, down to the smallest supporting role; everyone gives one hundred percent. The relatively simple story of participating in a Miss America pageant effortlessly opens up a bouquet of character development and emotional twists – be it the suicidal academic, the rebellious grandfather, the Nietzsche-reading teenager, the lower-middle-class parents – behind every facade lies a story that could fill an entire drama. As a family, this transforms into a 'comedy with heart.' And it's always about dreams, or, more generally speaking, the American Dream. Those who like can consider the additional layer of Bush's America presented in the film, but this is optional. And that's the beauty of this film: You can watch it in any situation—to relax, to cheer yourself up, to see great acting, or to reflect on dreams. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/25 Full Review Bara S Each of them has problems then they are united in a beauty contest situation. And what we know is that the car door has been repaired Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/26/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Little Miss Sunshine

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Movie Info

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
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