That’s right. I’m dropping a Spin Doctors reference, so you know I’m serious. Seriously puzzled, that is, about all of the “Little Miss Sunshine” Oscar hype.
Yes, I laughed all the way through it. Yes, Oscar-nominee Alan Arkin deserves a prize of some sort—be it a statue or a gift certificate to Chipotle—for his role as the loveable and dirty ol’ grandfather. And yes, the young girl who strives to be “Little Miss Sunshine” is as cute or cuter than the one from that Blind Melon bee-girl video (Jesus, that’s two dated ’90s references; maybe I should start saying “Not!” again, too).
But, as a dear friend used to say, “Let’s not start blowing each other quite yet.” I mean, a Best Picture nomination?! Did the Academy actually watch the entire film?? Did they notice Steve Carell was cast in the most unfunny role of his career, as a gay and suicidal Proust scholar?? Or did the judges just enjoy feeling smart when they heard the name Proust?? Were they not annoyed by the emo shithead of a teenager son character who takes a vow of silence in honor of his literary hero, Nietzche?? Who does that?? And what family–no matter how wacky and dysfunctional–tolerates that kind of shit?? And that’s not to mention the film’s most heavy-handed role: Greg Kinnear as the family’s bumbling father who also happens to be a wanna-be motivational speaker. Man, what a square!! Doesn’t he know cool people hate all those stupid self-help aphorisms?? Sheesh.
And that’s only a quarter of the forced quirkiness in “Little Miss Sunshine.” Slate.com does a marvelous job highlighting all of the film’s ultimately forgivable flaws here: http://www.slate.com/id/2160371.
Look, people. I ain’t hatin’. When my older, more suburban sister asked me, “Didn’t you just love ‘Little Miss Sunshine?’” I smiled and said I did. I just didn’t have the heart to spark yet another red-state, blue-state arguement.
All I’m saying is that I don’t know if “Little Miss Sunshine” deserves the same award as “Annie Hall,” which happens to be the last comedy to have won an Oscar in 1977.
Which reminds me, did anybody see Woody Allen’s latest comedy, “Scoop??” No?? Nevermind.
Now, if anybody should win a prize this weekend, it should be this guy: http://www.superdeluxe.com/sd/artist/brad_neely. Just for being the Best Fake Man ever.
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I concur that, though funny, the movie is NOT worthy of a best-picture nomination.
What did you think of the quasi-stripper routine of Olive? Why do you think it was in the movie? Were the screenwriter and director making a “statement”? I believe so, as does my wife, but what do you think?
The last comedy to win an Oscar since 1977? What about The English Patient?
Brad Neely should win everything.