Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Fairs) - 2006

So you think your family is dysfunctional.  You should talk to Toni Collette.  Her husband (Greg Kinnear) is a failed motivational speaker.  Her son (Paul Dano) is a nihilist who has taken a vow of silence.  Her daughter (Abigail Breslin) is a beauty queen/stripper wannabe.  Her brother (Steve Carell) is a suicidal, homosexual, Proust scholar.  And, her father-in-law (Alan Arkin) is a heroin addict and full-time curmudgeon.  So, how can you deal with a family as diverse as this?  My last guess would have been -- road trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach. 

This movie's greatest accomplishment is the complete exposure of the obscenities committed by the promoters of pre-teen beauty contests.  [JAM 12/7/2009]