Little Miss Sunshine

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2:26

Little Miss Sunshine

R

Released Jan 20, 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.

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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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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

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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

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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

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charlotte t

i watched this one night when i couldn't sleep and i think that that setting perfectly marches the atmosphere of this movie. it is daunting and random, silly and deep and a movie i simply have never seen in anything before. what a beautiful and realistic portrayal of a family that understands it's flaws yet still exists together! the dynamic between Frank and Dwayne is lovely and results in some memorable and hard-hitting lines and i have never truly understood the complexities of each emotion and yet this film has them all. the acting is impeccable, notably in the scene where Dwayne realises he can't become a pilot... the characters have so much depth and it is their imperfections that makes this a wonderful watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/19/25

Full Review

Dan D

I'm convinced this is one of the greatest portrayals of a on-screen family I've ever seen. It's got a ton of heart, comedy, and drama.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/18/25

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Daniel C. M

A uplifiting yet dark dra-medy. Great and memorable characters.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/30/25

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Audience Member

The movie was really great in the starting and I thought it would get more better but the story didn't turn out how I imagined. The family was going through a lot of hardships though...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/27/25

Full Review

Hayleigh P.

That was one expensive journey.. but on a real note: CHILDRENS beauty pageants are weird asf and no one can tell me otherwise. They should NOT be a thing. Beauty pageants in general are weird asf but a CHILD?!? But why did the grandpa have to die..?!? He was the one who taught her those moves and he should’ve been able to see them.. :/.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

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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

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