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Monday, January 14, 2008

Little Miss Sunshine

by Traces Sioux

Every parent of a daughter should see Little Miss Sunshine.

It's the story of a normal girl, Olive, from a dysfunctional family scrambling to get their hands on the American Dream.

Olive's aunt entered her into a beauty pageant and she placed as a runner-up. The winner couldn't make it to the California Little Miss Sunshine Pageant, so Olive gets in at the last minute.

Olive wants it, so the family drives their beat-up VW van across the country. When confronted with the complete insanity of what little girl beauty pageants have come to, both brother and father have serious misgivings about allowing Olive to compete.

This is a funny and entertaining flick. It's also a poignant commentary about the sexualization of girls and the importance our culture places on beauty as success.

Little Miss Sunshine is disturbing, but then so is what we do to girls in our culture.

Support this blog by clicking on the Unboxed DVD in the right side bar to watch the film right now. Or click on the Little Miss Sunshine link to order the DVD.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved this film. Thought it was fantastic.

PS: I had fitful dreams about spelling ALLLLL night long Sat.

~Jen

Anonymous said...

It's a great film. Did you know that the little girls were beauty pageant veterans doing their actual routines? Some scary authenticity there.

Violet said...

I think I was the only person in America who hated this movie.

I thought it was a complete indie cliche - you know, all the characters are dysfunctional, quirky and dark.

My favorite? Ha ha, heroin addict Grandpa is a huge pedophile who taught Olive to pole dance. How heartwarming.

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

Sierra, I saw similarly disturbing girls that looked exactly like the ones in the movie on a recent episode of Wife Swap and also on Dr. Phil.

Violet - I think that was meant to be disturbing. As was the pedophile in the audience.

This film should make people a little sick to their stomachs.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering when you would bring up that wife swap episode. (((shudder))) those pageant parents were WHACKED!

Jen

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

It's not that I'm becoming predictable as that once you think about these issues they become completely obvious.

Keeping It Real said...

I love that movie. I've watched documentaries on the real thing (kiddy pageants) and I'm appalled by it. Well, maybe that's too harsh a word, but I do think some of the mothers go waaaay over the top. I have to wonder if the girls actually enjoy it at all.

Anonymous said...

I like that even though

everyone in the family has contact with Olive,

she's the one that links them, and

they all care for her,

NOBODY bothered to get involved what she was going to do at the pageant.

Its what happens if you don't PAY ATTENTION!

Anonymous said...

Beauty pagents sicken me. There's a documentary called "Painted Babies" which is both revealing and scary.

Anonymous said...

HOTTIES!!!!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Little Miss Sunshine

by Traces Sioux

Every parent of a daughter should see Little Miss Sunshine.

It's the story of a normal girl, Olive, from a dysfunctional family scrambling to get their hands on the American Dream.

Olive's aunt entered her into a beauty pageant and she placed as a runner-up. The winner couldn't make it to the California Little Miss Sunshine Pageant, so Olive gets in at the last minute.

Olive wants it, so the family drives their beat-up VW van across the country. When confronted with the complete insanity of what little girl beauty pageants have come to, both brother and father have serious misgivings about allowing Olive to compete.

This is a funny and entertaining flick. It's also a poignant commentary about the sexualization of girls and the importance our culture places on beauty as success.

Little Miss Sunshine is disturbing, but then so is what we do to girls in our culture.

Support this blog by clicking on the Unboxed DVD in the right side bar to watch the film right now. Or click on the Little Miss Sunshine link to order the DVD.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved this film. Thought it was fantastic.

PS: I had fitful dreams about spelling ALLLLL night long Sat.

~Jen

Anonymous said...

It's a great film. Did you know that the little girls were beauty pageant veterans doing their actual routines? Some scary authenticity there.

Violet said...

I think I was the only person in America who hated this movie.

I thought it was a complete indie cliche - you know, all the characters are dysfunctional, quirky and dark.

My favorite? Ha ha, heroin addict Grandpa is a huge pedophile who taught Olive to pole dance. How heartwarming.

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

Sierra, I saw similarly disturbing girls that looked exactly like the ones in the movie on a recent episode of Wife Swap and also on Dr. Phil.

Violet - I think that was meant to be disturbing. As was the pedophile in the audience.

This film should make people a little sick to their stomachs.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering when you would bring up that wife swap episode. (((shudder))) those pageant parents were WHACKED!

Jen

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

It's not that I'm becoming predictable as that once you think about these issues they become completely obvious.

Keeping It Real said...

I love that movie. I've watched documentaries on the real thing (kiddy pageants) and I'm appalled by it. Well, maybe that's too harsh a word, but I do think some of the mothers go waaaay over the top. I have to wonder if the girls actually enjoy it at all.

Anonymous said...

I like that even though

everyone in the family has contact with Olive,

she's the one that links them, and

they all care for her,

NOBODY bothered to get involved what she was going to do at the pageant.

Its what happens if you don't PAY ATTENTION!

Anonymous said...

Beauty pagents sicken me. There's a documentary called "Painted Babies" which is both revealing and scary.

Anonymous said...

HOTTIES!!!!