For most of its history, the United States has existed in the minds of people from all around the world as the place of freedom and unparalleled economic opportunities. Real as they always were, these opportunities never fell into everyone’s hands in equal amounts. Nonetheless, America has produced millions of success stories that coalesced into the myth of unlimited opportunities. Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of a family that tries hard to participate in this American dream. The father is hatching a plan to make millions through selling self-help books and videos. The daughter is practicing with granddaddy to win a beauty contest for little kids. The teenage son decided to stop talking to anyone, while he is focusing on becoming a fighter jet pilot. In the meantime, Mommy has to work all day to keep the family afloat and bring food to the table while daddy is trying to make his business work. The only problem this American family is that they have no skills to make their dreams come true. In the competitive American world, they appear to be total losers. Not surprisingly the family life is a bit stressful because it is not clear how they will continue making a living. It is much easier to tell (and watch) heroic tales of people who overcome their challenges and succeed. The genius of Little Miss Sunshine is that it can turn the camera onto the lives of a disintegrating family without merely depressing you. It turns out that the parents don’t have the cash at hand to fly with their daughter to children’s beauty pageant to California. Yet when the family decides to make this long trip by car you want to go on the road trip with them and see who they fare in their struggle to make a living in contemporary American society. Except for the ending, the film is brilliant.

The only problem this American family is that they have no skills to make their dreams come true. In the competitive American world, they appear to be total losers. Not surprisingly the family life is a bit stressful because it is not clear how they will continue making a living. It is much easier to tell (and watch) heroic tales of people who overcome their challenges and succeed. The genius of Little Miss Sunshine is that it can turn the camera onto the lives of a disintegrating family without merely depressing you. It turns out that the parents don