Happiness in Little Miss Sunshine

683 Words3 Pages
In Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ film, “Little Miss Sunshine” , the dysfunctional Hoover family must take a cross-country trip from New Mexico to California in two days in effort to get Olive, the daughter, to a beauty pageant in which she is to compete in. The Hoovers are a family of six consisting of Richard, the broke father who is trying to build a career selling his nine steps to success, Sheryl, the stressed hard-working mother, Dwayne, the grumpy teenage son who takes a vow of silence until he achieves his dream of becoming a test pilot, Frank, the gay and suicidal uncle that studied Marcel Proust, Edwin, the heroin addict grandfather that got kicked out of his retirement home, and lastly, Olive, the seven year old daughter who’s dream it is to win the “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty pageant. While on this road trip, the Hoover’s encounter many difficult and tragic obstacles including the breaking of their Volkswagen’s clutch, the loss of Richard’s important business contract, a run into Frank’s ex-boyfriend, forgetting Olive at a gas station, Edwin’s heroin overdose and the smuggling of his body the rest of the trip, the constant sounding of the van’s horn after it breaks, and the discovery that Dwayne is color blind and will never be able to fly a jet. All these trials, although extremely depressing, end up bringing the family closer together as they realise how much they need each other’s support. By the end of the film, when they all join Olive on stage for her provocative dance routine, we can see how the trip benefited them in many ways. Amongst all the lessons they learned, one of the most important is the realization that single-minded goals is not what is needed for a good life. Ironically, the Hoovers become a happier, loving family only after they individually fail at their personal goals because it forces them to need each other, to truly be
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