Screenplay:
Michael ArndtCinematography:
Tim SuhrstedtComposer:
Mychael DannaCast:
Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Beth Grant, Dean Norris, Wallace Langham, Geoff Meed, Mary Lynn Rajskub (more)Plots(1)
Olive (Abigail Breslin) is a little girl with a dream: winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so burdened with their own quirks, neuroses, and problems that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them. Olive's father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a flop as a motivational speaker, and is barely on speaking terms with her mother. Her uncle Frank, a renowned Proust scholar, has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne (Paul Dano), a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence, which allows him to escape somewhat from the family whose very presence torments him. And Olive's grandfather is a ne'er-do-well with a drug habit, but at least he enthusiastically coaches Olive in her contest talent routine. Circumstances conspire to put the entire family on the road together with the goal of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in far off California. (20th Century Fox AU)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 2007 - Alan Arkin (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role)
- 2007 - Michael Arndt (Best Original Screenplay)
- 2007 - Best Motion Picture of the Year
- 2007 - Abigail Breslin (Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role)
Independent Spirit Awards
- 2007 - Albert Berger, David T. Friendly, Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf, Ron Yerxa (Best Feature)
- 2007 - Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Best Director)
- 2007 - Alan Arkin (Best Supporting Male)
- 2007 - Michael Arndt (Best First Screenplay)
- 2007 - Paul Dano (Best Supporting Male)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 2007 - Alan Arkin (Best Supporting Actor)
- 2007 - Michael Arndt (Best Original Screenplay)
- 2007 - Best Film
- 2007 - Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Best Director)
- 2007 - Toni Collette (Best Supporting Actress)
- 2007 - Abigail Breslin (Best Supporting Actress)
César Awards
- 2007 - Best Foreign Film
Golden Globes
- 2007 - Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- 2007 - Toni Collette (Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy)
Critics Choice Awards
- 2007 - Paul Dano (Best Young Actor)
- 2007 - Abigail Breslin (Best Young Actress)
- 2007 - Best Acting Ensemble
- 2007 - Michael Arndt (Best Writer)
- 2007 - Best Picture
- 2007 - Alan Arkin (Best Supporting Actor)
- 2007 - Best Comedy
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- 2006 - Jonathan Dayton, Michael Arndt, Valerie Faris (New Generation Award)
- 2006 - Michael Arndt (Best Screenplay)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- 2006 - Steve Carell (Best Supporting Actor)
- 2006 - Michael Arndt (Best Screenplay)
- 2006 - Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Best First Film)
San Sebastián International Film Festival
- 2006 - Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (City of Donostia Audience Award for Best Film)