Movie Review #1 - Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine

Awkward situations in life. There's nothing better. I think that the people who annoy you and drive you crazy are the people who make life interesting. Just think about it... if we all lived our lives without feeling like we wanted to smack somebody, then life would be truly boring.

Little Miss Sunshine was all that and a bag of potato chips (or, a bucket of chicken that grandpa hates). If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It's definitely in my top 5 favorite movies (along with 25+ others), all because I can connect with the characters and feel like I am right there with them through every uneasy scene. I must admit that I do not have a family as dysfunctional as the one depicted in the film, but the little bits of everyday life scattered in the family situations certainly made me laugh and cry.

Why is it that we can have such strong connections with characters whom we don't know, have never talked to, and just watch on the screen? Why is it that we feel empathy for that which is so distant? Well, simply, it's because it's familiar. We can identify, and it becomes something we care about. In the movie, I care about each member of the family because I think I know them based on the interactions that I have witnessed taking place. Do we really know them, or are we just internalizing their pain or joys and attributing it to our own lives?

I like to think that my conscience plays a large part in my life. I try my best to obey what my mind inside is telling me. Usually it's the right thing to do. I like to think that the Holy Spirit leads me through my conscience, but I don't know for sure. I like to think that my actions will follow what my heart tells me to do. I like to think that I will obey because I love.

I don't always, but I hope that I can get up onstage like this crazy family did at the end of the film. They did a wonderful thing for Olive.

5 out of 5 stars.

Image taken from IMDb.com