A Road Trip to Remember: 'Little Miss Sunshine'
 
In Little Miss Sunshine, Abigail Breslin plays Olive, a seven-year-old aspiring beauty queen who is surrounded by one of the most dysfunctional families we ever saw.
   Olive's father, Richard, is a struggling motivational speaker, and her brother, Frank, is a Proust scholar recovering from a failed suicide attempt. Olive's mother, Sheryl, also has Nietzsche-worshiping son, Dwayne, who has taken a vow of silence until he is old enough to be a fighter pilot.
   Then there's Grandpa, recently kicked out of his nursing home for snorting heroin.
   When the whole family hops into an old VW bus to take Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, it's the start of a hilarious tragicomic journey by a family whose lives are in for a change.

Excerpts from Reviews

Cast and Credits

A Fox Searchlight release of a Big Beach/Bonafide production. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert BergerAlbert Berger, Ron YerxaRon Yerxa. Executive producers, Jeb Brody, Michael Beugg. Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. Written by Michael Arndt.
 
Richard - Greg Kinnear
Frank - Steve Carell
Sheryl - Toni Collette 		Grandpa - Alan Arkin
Olive - Abigail Breslin
Dwayne - Paul Dano
"Young Abigail Breslin is a vital blend of klutziness and grace as the ambitious grade-schooler." ―The Hollywood Reporter.
"Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' Little Miss Sunshine was scooped up by Fox Searchlight for roughly $10 million. Roger Ebert laughed out loud at the premiere, so consider the money well spent." ― Flavorpill Sundance
"The family's sole oasis of serenity and self-possession is Olive (Abigail Breslin) . . . her shot at the Little Miss Sunshine crown is the engine that drives the comedy." ― Variety