Little Miss Sunshine - (Shooting Script) by Michael Ardnt & Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Here is the official screenplay book tie-in to the uproarious American family road comedy. Brazenly satirical yet deeply human, Little Miss Sunshine introduces audiences to one of the most endearingly fractured families in recent cinema history. Meet the Hoovers, a motley six-member family who treks from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, California, to fulfill the deepest wish of seven-year-old Olive, an ordinary little girl with big dreams.

Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin, the film strikes a nerve with everyone who's ever been awestruck by how their muddled families seem to make it after all. On the way the family must deal with crushed dreams, heartbreak, and a broken-down VW bus, leading up to the surreal Little Miss Sunshine competition itself. On their travels through this bizarrely funny landscape, the Hoovers learn to trust and support each other along the path of life, no matter what the challenge.

Review Quotes

"It's difficult to convey the sheer joy of watching these characters interact. It's testament to the naturalness of Arndt's screenplay that this movie feels less like a scripted narrative and more like a spectacularly successful improv exercise." -- Jessica Reaves

"Screenwriter Michael Arndt Ýis¨ an awesomely original voice in a profession that rewards imitation. I like to think Little Miss Sunshine dropped from celluloid heaven as a sign that, despite continual evidence to the contrary, movie miracles still happen. You'll be delighted, if a bit breathless from laughing, to be along for the ride." -- Ruthe Stein

"The script is dark but refreshing, and Arndt is certainly a writer with something to say, commenting on America's obsessions with beauty and winning." -- Jeff Sneider