Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Little Miss Sunshine: the new Napoleon Dynamite?

Heidi and I heard several times about this great new little indie movie, Little Miss Sunshine. When we found it in the Redbox, we figured it might be worth a dollar. In many ways, this movie is like Napoleon Dynamite, another indie movie that hit the big time. The similarities are many. Both movies feature quirky families with a grandparent that does not act their age. Both movies feature out of date houses and vans that almost serve as characters. (My first car had a problem with the horn similar to the VW bus.) Both movies feature a climactic dance sequence. Finally, both movies featured unique camera work, catchy lines, solid acting and redemption. However, there is one significant difference between the two movies. While Napoleon was PG rated and clean, LMS is dirty. Really dirty.

There were three problems I had with LMS. The first was that they used the F-word early and often. I had to check to make sure we were not watching a Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee movie. Seriously, did copious amounts of swearing add to the plot? The second was the “gee, isn’t porn funny?” scenes. No, pornography is not funny. The final thing absolutely destroyed the movie for me. The climatic scene of the movie features a 7 year old girl doing a striptease as her talent at the pageant. That is not okay. Even though she was dressed the entire time and it was played for laughs, it was not okay. That is never okay.

For all the things that the filmmakers did right with LMS, there was just too much that was wrong about it. It feels to me like a waste.

2 comments:

Jacob said...

I totally agree, without the F-bombs, and the lude dancing, the moving would have had the same plot, and would have been a better movie. Will we ever get a movie like NP again, that isn't animated?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the review on LMS. I wanted to see it but considering your review it is no longer appealing.