The first time you see it, "Little Miss Sunshine" comes across as an amusing-but-unremarkable little movie that manages to liven things up just as you're attention threatens to wane. It's one of those movies that, when it's over, you suddenly realize it's actually pretty damn good, making you immediately want to watch it again. While often quite funny, it's not the broad farce promos make it out to be. Instead, it's a subtle, quirky story (with dark underpinnings) of a deceptively dysfunctional middle-class family who learns to appreciate each other. Best of all, it's the kind of movie that demands repeated viewings.

The Hoover family is, on the surface, your normal middle class American family, who all climb into their ancient VW van to travel across several states to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant in L.A., of which their frumpy young daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin), is an unexpected finalist. Olive is also the most well-adjusted member of the family. Her overbearing dad, Richard (Greg Kinnear, in an Oscar-worthy performance) is an embittered middle-aged man who clings to the hope that his worthless, nine-step self-help program will land him a book deal. Sheryl (Toni Collette) is his oft-suffering wife. Their son, Dwayne (Paul Dano), is a nihilistic 15-year-old who claims to hate everybody, and has taken a vow of silence until he's accepted into the Air Force Academy. Living with them is Richard's outspoken dad (Alan Arkin, who also deserves an Oscar nod), a widowed drug addict preoccupied with sex. Along for the ride is Richard's troubled gay brother, Frank (Steve Carell), whose recent suicide attempt has everyone keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try it again. It doesn't sound very amusing or uplifting (and sometimes it's not), but the film is less about the journey than about the people taking it, and we truly grow to like every one of them. The script throws us a lot of character surprises, keeping the story pretty unpredictable. Just when you think you're going to hate Richard's single-minded attitude towards his empty-headed self-help program (which everyone else realizes is bullshit), the epiphany he reaches in the film's climax makes you love him. The same goes for Dwayne, whom at first seems like yet-another obnoxious slacker, but who turns out to be a kid of deep feeling. It's actually hard to say whose performance is the best, but stealing every scene he's in is Arkin as the grandfather; he's easily the funniest character in the film, providing most of the laugh-out-loud moments. Again, anyone hoping for a movie similar to National Lampoon's "Vacation" movies will be disappointed. "Little Miss Sunshine's" basic plot is similar, but the script is a million times smarter, as well as darker & more subtly poignant. This is an unhappy family that learns to BE happy during the journey to the pageant, and the obstacles making their trip more difficult, while often very funny, serve to help them become closer. I will say this...while the film is more of a 'dramedy' than your usual sitcom-style yuk-fest, the unexpected climax made me laugh harder than any other movie I've seen this year.

The disc I reviewed is a copied screener, so I can't really comment on the picture, since what will actually be offered in stores may differ from the disc I received (though I do know it will be available in both 2.35:1 widescreen & 1.33:1 fullscreen). The overall sound, however, seemed to be quite good, rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital; it features good balance and clarity, will no discernable distortion.

The actual retail disc is a two-sided DVD, while this screener was one-sided, so aside from a music video, as well as a commentary by husband & wife directing team Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris and writer Michael Arnd, I couldn't access the other bonus features. So, based on press releases, extra features include 4 alternate endings with optional commentary and some trailers.

"Little Miss Sunshine" is a smart, funny and sometimes melancholy gem that manages to be both wonderfully entertaining & subversively clever, featuring some of the most well-rounded characters of any movie I've seen in awhile. It isn't the slapstick farce touted in trailers and TV spots. Instead, it's a rewarding look at a family whose misfortunes make them better people. Highly recommended.