Oh, man, I just gotta tell you guys--run, don't walk to see this movie! Terrible name of course, as this is a very adult comedy, but I haven't laughed so hard for a long, long time. Starts off a little slow, but by the time the family is forced to get-out and push their VW minibus the thing just takes off and soars, and the payoff at the finale is huge.

Here in So. Central Texas the weather has been 100 degrees for a couple months now (no lie!) so an afternoon matinee was in order. What a great escape and surprise this was! If a heart beats in your chest I guarantee you will have fun...

I liked it, but it's a very dark picaresque comedy. I suspect that as it does not behave very much like other Hollywood product out there that most of the locals will be baffled or annoyed by it. And I certainly wouldn't expect much discussion about it until the DVD comes out.

Still, a fine film and very well acted, and it stars one of my top favorites, Toni Collette. Little Abigail Breslin (the little girl in Signs) makes a big impression as the "Miss Sunshine" as well, and Alan Arkin is totally over the top as her grandfather.

I liked it, but it's a very dark picaresque comedy.No question that the early minutes do not suggest a comedy (attempted suicide!? elderly drug addiction!? teenage alienation!? marital distress!?) but I'd say it's much more mainstream than perhaps the "Harold and Maude" that brings to mind.

We had just watched and enjoyed Kingpin (LMS is far more adult) and last night we looked again at As Good As It Gets (has the Kinnear connection) which just gets better with every viewing. I think LMS is likely to become a modern classic for the genre.

It certainly has the makings of a big cult favorite.

Saw it this weekend since I'm a big Greg Kinnear fan. (Had a Kinnear weekend with "Invincible" as well). Anyway, LMS was terrific! I generally don't like comedies so was a bit wary of all the "hilarious" ad blurbs. However, it has just the right blend of dysfunctional pathos and relatable situations to make it totally enjoyable.

Loved this. Also as a former owner of an aircooled VW all of the moments with the Transport were done 100% realistically. Speaking of which, holy crap, most of the time those weren't stunt doubles. Talk about some tricky directing! Everyone did a hilarious and splendid job.

...I'm a big Greg Kinnear fan. (Had a Kinnear weekend with "Invincible" as well)...We watched "As Good As It Gets" this weekend which is one of those movies that gets better with every viewing.

Hoping LMS has a relatively short run (!) so we can own it on DVD! ;)

I want to thank you guys for this thread, because with the name of the movie and the shots i had seen with the kid in it, i thought this was a kiddie movie and did not intend to see it.

Well, my wife and i saw it today and loved it. What a great bizarre different comedy. I hope word spreads about this movie, maybe it is, our theater was pretty full for a matinee show which usually dont draw big.

This movie is totally different than most comedies and it really works. My wife and I were laughing so hard near the end, this was great!

...my wife and i saw it today and loved it. What a great bizarre different comedy. I hope word spreads about this movie, maybe it is, our theater was pretty full for a matinee show which usually dont draw ...Maybe someone here will read your post and give it a try this weekend while it's still up on the big screen.

Easily the most memorable film I've seen this year...

We loved this movie, too. My mother-in-law said it was about a totally disfuntional family. I disgreed saying the family was highly functional, just strange. She cited the beginning where the suicide attempt and the sister going to get him which is where I said that was functional behavior.

Everyone had their own personality, even the VW!

The end was great. If you have not seen the movie, don't peek at this next line...
Who thinks grandpa made the dance routine because he was a pervert, and who thinks it was because he knew his grand daughter would love to mock the whole event.

I am of the latter theory...

The DVD was supposed to have been released yesterday. Anyone got it yet?

I watched it last night. Definitely one of the better comedies I've seen in quite a while. Great performances from everyone. BTW, the film didn't exaggerate what those pre-pubescent pageants are like one bit. I've witnessed a couple and they are atrocities.

readers digest version review:

a demented road trip w/ a moral. i laughed out loud....a lot!

I watched it last night. Definitely one of the better comedies I've seen in quite a while. Great performances from everyone. BTW, the film didn't exaggerate what those pre-pubescent pageants are like one bit. I've witnessed a couple and they are atrocities.

My thoughts exactly. It's weird - I've been in hotels/convention centers twice in the last year where these pagents were going on, and yes, nothing was exaggerated. Actually, the scale of these things were downplayed if anything. Thousands and thousands of these little kids dressed up like little Barbie call girls with their overweight Jerry Springer-esque doting mothers chasing behind for a futile once in a lifetime shot of glory by association. Sordid on so many levels.

But the film itself was one of the most fun and satisfying flicks I've seen in a while.

Delightful flick indeed; no comments tho about the DVD? Guess it doesn't matter--this is one of those "a must to own" unless they did something awful with it e.g. non-anamorphic, mono sound, or maybe they projected it onto a dirty bedsheet and shot it with a hand-held VHS-C...

This movie could have been REALLY bad, imagine a family with the following members:


A suicidal gay man
A gimicky motivational speaker (husband)
His somewhat supportive wife
Their little girl beauty contestant
The off-colored grandpa
An entroverted teenager


This could have easily turned into a cheesy comedy, but instead these excellent actors PULL it off, and come up with a SMART drama/comedy.

The script is so well written that the dialog never calls attention to itself. The whole unbelievable affair actually comes off quite realistically ...
simply an amazing job by the writer(s), director and his cast... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Yeah, totally agree- the movie is full of elements that, on paper, could have been a cliched mess. The smart writing and great acting elevate it.

I agree. I saw the film the other day and I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that I thought the characters where all terrible and ridiculous characitures. The acting was superb and it was very funny, so I really did end up enjoying the film. But the plot and characters of the film was really absurd and borderline ridiculous. But the acting was great and the dialogue was great and very funny, which rescued the film and made it quite enjoyable. But I was kind of surprised at how stupid all the characters were, and was kind of surprised how much word-of-mouth hype this film had in the theaters. But still definitely worth a rental, and again excellent acting all around which really was the high point of the film, along with the humor.

it was a good movie, but I actually didn't laugh too much. The acting was superb, and it elevated it. But yes, well worth the rental

Usually I agree with most of you folks, but I found this a one joke pony, mostly unfunny and unimaginative and it was too late for the telegraphed joke to save it.

IF you measure this by how many laughs, you will be disappointed. This is a drama, with an amusing bent :)



The old guy telling the teenager the importance of having lots of women

the ice cream scene (watch how this scene is relevant later in the flick, twice), the magazine scene.

The teenager that goes the path of least talk and least resistance, i used that technique as a kid... it completely foiled my "Type A" dad.

Grandpa's death is quite touching, in many countries, its normal for the family to bring the remains with them...

The wife that is supportive but has limits...

I didn't "GET IT" with this movie. Though I found the acting good across the board, I found
the story line weak, and the ending very predicable. I also found the white trash theme
boring and just not funny not offensive just not funny. Some of the disfunctionality was funny and I would give the movie a 3 star rating. I feel this movie was over hyped and definitely not
Oscar material as suggested.

I liked it because it was not a run of the mill movie. The acting was good and the plot was believeable (I knew a family that was more disfunctional). I have not been following and reviews so I did not know what to expect, which sometimes makes it nice.

Deron.

Anyone care to discuss their opinions of the PQ of this DVD?

Anyone care to discuss their opinions of the PQ of this DVD?

Going from memory, pq was good, not great. Like a 3.5 out of 5 or so.

Going from memory, pq was good, not great. Like a 3.5 out of 5 or so.

Yeah, it wasn't so great. It was okay, but soft. It also was a double-sided DVD with fullscreen on one side. I haven't encountered one of those discs in ages! And no matter WHAT, 100% of the time, no matter how I read the spindle label to try to get the widescreen side, I always ALWAYS manage to put 'em in fullscreen-side down.

Yea whats up with those ridiculously small spindle labels?!

its easier to try both sides, rather than read the label...

I hated this movie and gave up after the first 15 minutes. Same with Junebug. If you don't like any of the characters and the movie substitutes strange, annoying, and rude behavior for comedy, then what is the point?

I liked The Black Dahlia!

IB

Rude behavior? I cant remember a single "rude" scene in this movie.

The old man who snorts cocaine comes into the kitchen and uses foul language in front of a child. I could only stomach the first 15 minutes and fast forwarded the rest.

IB

I hated this movie and gave up after the first 15 minutes.Good grief, man, the first 15 minutes were supposed-to be uncomfortable! It's called "the set-up"!

I'm interested to hear that the DVD has a fullscreen version also. I imagine the producers thought about the collectability/replay potential of the movie and thusly make it more accessible: --for people who don't like letterboxing --for people (like maybe myself) who will put the thing on their media servers and play it back on some ancient 4:3 TVs. ;)

The old man who snorts cocaine comes into the kitchen and uses foul language in front of a child. I could only stomach the first 15 minutes and fast forwarded the rest.

IB

The Old Man introduced a refreshing concept to this movie: when your old, you can basically do what you want!

Heck I havent smoked since I was 19, but when I am 80 my nice pink lungs are going to be ready for some Winstons!

HA...I loved Olive's dance number at the end!

This movie has a fictitious story and is NOT a documentary....sheesh...

Get a grip, IB.

I don't usually buy dvd's of movies that I haven't seen before. I learned my lesson all too well with "great" flicks like "Down With Love", "Legally Blonde 2", etc. but I bought this one today on-line after hearing all the positive comments. Can't wait to get it! :)

You can do much worse than this movie... ;)

Enjoy!

Legally Blonde 2?!
Nobody said that was great!

"Legally Blonde", the original, is the BUY, silly rabbit.

Inky... too bad you turned it off, you would have found it was heroin, not cacaine ;)

Horirble combination of soft grain and WAY too much EE on the DVD. I liked the movie, but I am hoping for a better transfer in the future.

For a film of this genre, the VQ didn't pull me out of the movie.

I hated this movie and gave up after the first 15 minutes.
:confused:
How can you hate what you didn't see?

I just watched it tonight, I thought the movie was great! But I tend to like movies a little quirky.

Watched this last night. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it and want to see it again. I haven’t laughed so hard for so long at something so simple as a stuck horn, in a long, long time. Toni Collett is one of my favorite actresses, and Greg Kinnear gets better and better every time I see him. These two work so well together. If you haven’t watched Dinner With Friends, I highly recommend it.

I'm with you guys on this one. After renting SO many disappointing, crappy movies lately (Superman Returns, Lady in the Water, Pulse, Pirates 2, etc..the list goes on), I rented this one and realized again why I loved movies. I LOVED it.

Definitely up there with "Thank You for Smoking" as the funniest movie I saw in 2006.

Watched this last night. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it and want to see it again. I haven’t laughed so hard for so long at something so simple as a stuck horn, in a long, long time. Toni Collett is one of my favorite actresses, and Greg Kinnear gets better and better every time I see him. These two work so well together. If you haven’t watched Dinner With Friends, I highly recommend it.

Thanx for the recommendation.

Somewhere, long ago, I too had a stuck horn incident....LMAO. :)
Excellent flick.

Thanx for the recommendation.

Beware; DWF could easily be considered a chick flick, so if you don’t like those, you may not like this. However, I don’t consider DWF the typical chick flick by any means - I found it very thought provoking. YMMV. This review gives a better description than I could possibly do.

Dinner With Friends

Directed by Norman Jewison and adapted by Donald Margulies from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this acclaimed HBO production offers a welcome antidote to the superficiality of mainstream Hollywood. With the same attention to emotional detail that he brought to Moonstruck, Jewison establishes a delicate balance of anguish and bittersweet humor, reaching peak intensity as two couples confront the aftershocks of infidelity. Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell play the steady pair, committed to surviving every marital peak and valley. Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette are splitting up, divided by his infidelity and forced to reevaluate connections to their long-term friends. While Jewison and cinematographer Roger Deakins expertly translate the stagy material, the revealing, nonjudgmental quality of Margulies's dialogue inspires excellence from this quartet of underrated actors. Funny, painful, and full of truth, Dinner with Friends presents marriage as an organic work in progress, never to be taken for granted, and never guaranteed. --Jeff Shannon

http://www.amazon.ca/Dinner-Friends-Norman-Jewison/dp/B00005TPL2

Anyone care to discuss their opinions of the PQ of this DVD?

One of the worst EE I have ever seen, and I normally don't bother to notice those at all, but here on some scenes it was beyond redemption.

Congratulations to Little Miss Sunshine for all the Oscar nods (including Best Picture!), but of special note is a Best Supporting Actress nomination for 10 year-old Abigail Breslin! (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1113550/)



Complete list of nominations:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070123/ap_en_mo/oscar_nominations_list

Congratulations to Little Miss Sunshine for all the Oscar nods (including Best Picture!), but of special note is a Best Supporting Actress nomination for 10 year-old Abigail Breslin!
That is GREAT! This was such a good movie. :)

Congratulations to Little Miss Sunshine for all the Oscar nods...Thanks Rupert for the link--I hadn't heard about it.

I guess this means though, since I will want to watch the telecast, that I will have to suffer thru multiple camera pans of Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet!!! Oh, and of course Toni Collette!!!! ;)

Gosh, this movie was nominated?

Heck yea, and deservedly so :)

Some of the best acting ive ever seen....

Heck yea, and deservedly so :)

Some of the best acting ive ever seen....

Average at best.

And thats why the Academys and the Golden Globe are nominating it left and right ...

And you need their opinion to make up yours? Sad...........

Fantastic movie. Had my wife and I laughing out loud. Well deserving of the nomination.

And you need their opinion to make up yours? Sad...........

Given that John_R expressed his delight with this movie back on 12/23, well before the Oscar nominations, it would seem unlikely that the academy's opinion was relevant.

Please do try to keep up.

Average at best.Ok, well, there is no accounting for taste!

I didn't see many movies in 2006 so can't say where LMS ranks among them, but I can say it's the best time I've had in a theater in ages. It IS a little surprising to see an "Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences" nomination for such a quirky little comedy for sure.

Given that John_R expressed his delight with this movie back on 12/23, well before the Oscar nominations, it would seem unlikely that the academy's opinion was relevant.

Please do try to keep up.

If it's not relevant why bring it up? Please do be logical next time before you barge in! Thanks!

Why so much bitterness in a thread about such a lighthearted movie?

If it's not relevant why bring it up? Please do be logical next time before you barge in! Thanks!

I didn't bring it up, you did.

And I don't appear to be the one with the logic problem here.

I loved the movie for its off beat humor and was crying I was laughing so hard. Of course I own a number of old VW's and every VM malidy in the movie has happened to me at one time or another.

-Craig

Why so much bitterness in a thread about such a lighthearted movie?
Seems right in keeping with the movie to me :D

I liked the film a lot but a nod for best picture seems a little much IMO.

It had my girlfriend laughing aloud, and that's a rarity with movies these days.......

Why so much bitterness in a thread about such a lighthearted movie?

The movie is mildly entertaining, but it's such a by-the-numbers, formulaic Sundance crowd-pleaser that to watch it accumulate so many award nominations is just disheartening.

The movie is mildly entertaining, but it's such a by-the-numbers, formulaic Sundance crowd-pleaser that to watch it accumulate so many award nominations is just disheartening.
That's basically how I would sum it up beyond what I've said already.

I can certainly understand, and even expect, different opinions. ALL movies are like that (well, maybe not all... did ANYONE like Transporter 2?) Just doesn't seem like the kind of movie to cause people to degrade OTHER people's opinion about it.

I didn't bring it up, you did.

And I don't appear to be the one with the logic problem here. You're right you appear more[less] to be then that,

I didn't bring it up John did and you're the one who spoke in his place, and you accusing me of not keeping up with things?

I loved it and thought it was much better than mildly entertaining, but agree it doesn't deserve the award hype. It's not even the best comedy from last year ("Thank Yor For Smoking" was). IMO "United 93" deserved the LMS slot for best pic.

You're right

Thank you. Although, to be completely truthful, I suspect you're not being sincere.

I didn't bring it up John did and you're the one who spoke in his place, and you accusing me of not keeping up with things?

Well, let's backtrack a bit here. John commented a month ago that he enjoyed the movie titling this thread. When he repeated that sentiment yesterday, you claimed that his opinions were formed by the Academy and their nominations for Academy Awards, even though the nominations hadn't been announced until January 23rd, just 2 days ago.

Unless John has somehow developed a method for time travel so that he might have learned of the nominations prior to his first viewing of the movie in December, then, yes, I am accusing you of not keeping up.

I hope the movie wins an Oscar.

The movie is mildly entertaining, but it's such a by-the-numbers, formulaic Sundance crowd-pleaser that to watch it accumulate so many award nominations is just disheartening.

This movie was one of those "Throw a bunch of good actors in a room with a somewhat dull script and hope they somehow make real drama." And the professional Hollywood actors they hire DELIVER.

And the Movie provides NONE of the typical crutches that support "formula" movies: sex, violence, special effects, prequels. And no star power either!

Its movies like this that HEARTEN ME. The only thing disheartening is seeing a movie-man like Josh not getting it.

This movie was one of those "Throw a bunch of good actors in a room with a somewhat dull script and hope they somehow make real drama." And the professional Hollywood actors they hire DELIVER.
So basically a polished turd has been nominated for best picture. That IS impressive! :D :D

Thank you. Although, to be completely truthful, I suspect you're not being sincere.



Well, let's backtrack a bit here. John commented a month ago that he enjoyed the movie titling this thread. When he repeated that sentiment yesterday, you claimed that his opinions were formed by the Academy and their nominations for Academy Awards, even though the nominations hadn't been announced until January 23rd, just 2 days ago.

Unless John has somehow developed a method for time travel so that he might have learned of the nominations prior to his first viewing of the movie in December, then, yes, I am accusing you of not keeping up.

God, must be one od those days! :D

Fo ther forum's sake I won't continue on this nonesense, it's on page 2 everyone can see what was posted.

This movie was one of those "Throw a bunch of good actors in a room with a somewhat dull script and hope they somehow make real drama." And the professional Hollywood actors they hire DELIVER.

And the Movie provides NONE of the typical crutches that support "formula" movies: sex, violence, special effects, prequels. And no star power either!

The wacky dysfunctional family and road trip formulas are plenty big crutches to lean on.

Its movies like this that HEARTEN ME. The only thing disheartening is seeing a movie-man like Josh not getting it.

I got it. I just don't think it was very good.

You yourself just admitted that it was a dull script.

So basically a polished turd has been nominated for best picture. That IS impressive! :D :D

LOL, Yup!

Thats part of it!

I watched it last night. This one was sorta like watching a streaker run across the street.
Odd. Amusing. Not something one sees every day.
But it's doubtful that it's something I'll want to devote much thought to.

p.s. no matter how hard I try not to, for some reason when I still see that dude I can't help but start thinking about Talk Soup again.
I guess it's sorta like if they were to put Mr. T in a Brooks Brothers suit and gave him a normal haircut and have him play the part of Felix Unger. I think I'd still be looking at him and saying to myself "Yep, that's Mr T allright.".

Robert have you heard of Auteur Directors? Those are directors that are studied in filmschool for breaking new ground in fimmaking.

LMS won BEST FILM at the Screen Actors Guild awards tonite, and the best way to explain how this low budget film won all the actors' hearts, is because they are ... gonna study it!

I just watched it last night with some friends. I find myself agreeing with Josh Z on this one. I thought it was godawful.

I can get into quirky, but...quirky that is unfunny and that violates it's own quirky world is painful.

Simple example: The most famous moment as seen in all the trailers is the scene where the family drives away from a gas station after forgetting Olive, the little girl...

...but we never get the scene after they pick her up where they have to explain why that happened to her and apologize for it. Nothing. Is this a habit with them? Why has there been no evidence of this behavior before? Even her beloved grandpa' forgot about her?

I saw absolutely no reason for this scene to exist in the movie EXCEPT that it would make for a cutesy trailer clip.
Meanwhile...
...did the kid give a damn about winning the contest or not? The entire family is uprooted and drives across country because the contest was supposed to mean so much to her, but after she is booed off the stage and they drag her back to the van, it's as though she couldn't have cared less about the contest and there isn't any mention of what losing the contest or appearing in it means to her if it means anything at all.
Scene after scene seemed to exist in its own universe without much of a relationship to anything that came before it or was to come later. Easy, opportunistic junk, imho.

Hitch, let me get this right, you want the director to explain previous scenes, to the characters, for the audience's benefit? The audience already saw the scene, pace would suffer.

And you want the little girl to be <...> after her gutsy performance? Watch the dressing room scene again, she knew beforehand what her chances were.

No, I don't expect scenes to be explained by the director. What I'm saying is that a scene where this quirky, cutesy family leaves their little girl in the middle of nowhere and where even her beloved, quirky, cutesy grandpa' has totally forgotten about her for a mile or two down the road absolutely SCREAMS for a quirky, cutesy scene after they return to scoop her up where they expain in their quirky, cutesy manner what the hell they were thinking when they drove off and left her in the middle of nowhere.

But there is no such scene.

It is only my opinion that the reason there is no such scene in this movie is that the writer had no idea how or why his quirky, cutesy family could have done such a thing, what it tells us about their characters, what the kid's (non)reaction to it all tells us about her character, her relationship with her family, their relationship with her, their quirky, cutesy world, life in general...or anything else. And, therefore, he had nothing to say about it in his script.

But it did seem to me that the writer thought that gag would make for a memorable trailer clip, which is why that is the only gag that anyone remembers IN the trailer clip.

I know this is supposed to be a lighthearted romp, but I grew weary searching in vain for a funny punchline to the multitude of set ups in this one.

Let me put it this way, John. This was no Napoleon.
It's a travesty that this thing get nominated for Best Picture when Napoleon got nothing.

...a scene where this quirky, cutesy family leaves their little girl in the middle of nowhere and where even her beloved, quirky, cutesy grandpa' has totally forgotten about her for a mile or two down the road absolutely SCREAMS for a quirky, cutesy scene after they return to scoop her up where they expain in their quirky, cutesy manner what the hell they were thinking when they drove off and left her in the middle of nowhere.
Personally, I thought the implication that this was "just another day in the life of..." is what made it so funny. Sh*t just happened to these people (much of which was their own fault), and they way they just rolled with the punches is what made them so endearing. To me, such an apology/excuse/explanation scene defeats the whole point, and would have weighed it down. Sometimes, what's NOT said, or seen, can be the most effective.

The reactions to this film are interesting. Most of my friends tend to have similar taste in comedies. This one, however, has drawn some polar responses. Some of us thought it was hysterical, and at least one of us didn't like it at all. Not really sure what about it invokes such love/hate responses.

Robert have you heard of Auteur Directors? Those are directors that are studied in filmschool for breaking new ground in fimmaking.

LMS won BEST FILM at the Screen Actors Guild awards tonite, and the best way to explain how this low budget film won all the actors' hearts, is because they are ... gonna study it!

No, the movie won "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture", which is not the same thing as "Best Film". The SAG awards are for acting only. There is no voting for best film, just the performances in the film.

As far as Little Miss Sunshine being studied in film schools, what would there be to study? How to get the most out of an old VW bus when you have no money?

I doubt the movie will be remembered by much of anyone in 5 years time. I bet we if check back here even you'll have forgotten it.

Let me put it this way, John. This was no Napoleon.
It's a travesty that this thing get nominated for Best Picture when Napoleon got nothing.

Napoleon was a perfectly constructed film, so much so that the actors had an easy job: it was more dead pan than anything else. Little Miss Sunshine, on the other hand, was all about what wasn't said, and the quick looks, and the conflicts that didnt happen, etc.

Remember, these awards are voted on by industry insiders, and they think like me:
They watch a movie to see great acting, period. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

Napoleon was a perfectly constructed film

My sentiments exactly. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon14.gif

I won't deny it, I do think when a small, ultra-low budget, independent film makes a killing at the box-office, is almost universally acclaimed critically and then goes on to win or be nominated for presitgeous industry awards, that outcome might have a bearing on how I assess it. To be blunt, it is easier for some of us who had issues with it to nod in benign acceptance in response to high praise for such a movie BEFORE all that hooplah follows (IF it follows) than it is after it follows.

Let's face it. If a quirky little movie goes nowhere financially or critically, then the likelihood that we'll see a parade of imitators showing up at the local bijou is slim to none. Whoever discovered the little thing and loved it, good for them.

But when it hits a homerun in so many ways financially and critically the way LMS has, we all know we're going to be enticed to see at least a dozen more quirky little films that...for the detractors among us...seem to be thrown together slap-dash without much regard for developing coherent characters or paying off on a premise.

And decent, small budget, clever, character-driven, off-beat, non-CGI movies of quality that recieve some level of distribution are SO HARD to come by these days, I guess some of us are disheartened when we suspect we might get a lot more of them coming down the pike now like LMS and fewer of them like, say, Blood Simple.

It isn't fair, I know. But massive financial and critical success for this kind of little movie IS a reason that some of us proceed with caution on viewing it and assess it more strongly in ways that early audiences, naturally, wouldn't have.

Well, I think you've hit on why I think LMS shouldn't be a contender for Best Picture. I liked the movie- I found it quite enjoyable because the acting was solid enough and the jokes funny enough I didn't find myself thinking about the holes you bring up. For me it was definitely entertaining and it should be recognized as such. But to be considered for an Oscar as the best movie made all year it should be flawless, or darn close to it. LMS just doesn't hold up to that kind of scrutiny.

Throughout the movie I kept thinking hey, isn't this "stereotyping" of some dysfunctional person in a family situation or some other situation done before in some other movie, many movies? I thought this movie was dull because of the cliche-ness..nominated for an Oscar..why? but then I didnt care. They gotta nominate something this year.

I guess "dysfunctional" may be funny to some here. But not to me, thats why I dont "get it".

I'll just cut to the chase; this movie was not that good.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 3.

I'll never even consider watching it again and feel robbed of the 2 hours that I already devoted to it.

I found it enjoyable but I don't think it deserves a "best of" anything. For some reason it felt like a failed Wes Anderson movie to me.

NoUserName22, I belive you do have a user name, you copied my moniker. :D

Film professionals are busy lavishing awards and nominations on this movie; at some point you naysayers should just realize that a great movie must have just flown by, just slightly over your head ....

I guess "dysfunctional" may be funny to some here. But not to me, thats why I dont "get it".
Then what IS funny? The vast majority of comedies out there make fun of characters and/or the situations they create. And that's ok, because they aren't real. I'm still amazed at how much judgement is being placed on a relatively lighthearted comedy. Comedy is HIGHLY subjective. Just because you don't "get it", doesn't mean it's bad.

Great. Let me make sure I understand what I just read. So now I'm lacking in intelligence because I didn't like this movie??? :rolleyes:

In Texas, we try not to insult people simply because they have a different opinion of art/film/music. Nothing about this movie was "over my head", I simply didn't enjoy it. I see that there are many others in this thread in agreement. Just because we're not the majority doesn't mean that we're wrong. It's ART, John.

"De gustibus non est disputandem"

There is no disputing about taste.

We'll collectively await your apology.

One could argue that just because you DO get it, it doesn't mean it's good either :D. I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just saying...

I didnt mean to imply any lack of intelligence, and i apologize for the poor choice in words.
I also think its FINE to not like this movie.

Where we may differ is in whether the movie has intrinsic value regardless of whether you "like" it. The Screen Actors Guild determined that was the best cast performance of the year, and any actor worth their salt can probably point out 40 BRILLIANT moments in this film.

In that sense, this is like judging ice skating. Whether the audience "likes" it or not, the judges are gonna add up their points, and declare it the winner.

One could argue that just because you DO get it, it doesn't mean it's good either :D
Exactly! There are all kinds of things I think are funny that others don't, and things that others think are funny that I find boring. Neither is necessarily right or wrong. I think one of the funniest things I've seen recently is the buttrocket video... I don't think the timing could have been better if it were scripted. But most would say it's just stupid kids doing something crude. :D

Thanks for the reply, John. It is greatly appreciated.

I will add that I did think that the acting was solid. The character development was also quite good. I just didn't enjoy the plot/storyline and the ending did nothing for me. I'm also strangely annoyed by Toni Collette. I usually really enjoy weird/different movies, but this one just didn't pan out for me.

As far as award winning movies go, I think "Chicago" also raked in a few. I couldn't take more than 30 minutes of that movie. I hit stop on the remote, returned it to Blockbuster and I'll never look back.

Oh well, to each his own I guess.

love carrell, and i will love this movie

I saw Greg Kinnear and the rest of the cast accept the SAG award the other night.

He starts out saying something about the VW van they used in the movie, the VW company, the product in general...

He was smiling/smirking while he was talking so I know he thought he was saying something funny. But he struggled and struggled and there didn't seem to be a payoff or a punchline to his little story and so it just trailed off into barely audible muttering...

No one else in the cast had a thing to offer to rescue the situation either.

Kind of emblematic of the movie itself, I thought.

So, what you're saying is, these actors actually aren't very funny, and any success the film may have is due to the writing and directing? :confused:

This was a dark comedy, its not supposed to elicit laughs in the audience, just chuckles.

It also wasn't a dysfunctional family. It was a highly supportive family, with some healthy conflict mixed in.

So, what you're saying is, these actors actually aren't very funny, and any success the film may have is due to the writing and directing? :confused:It's just that not all actors are natural comedians, or (for example) have ever done stand-up so may not be as "quick on their feet" as others.

I'm usually pretty hard on actors myself (e.g. "what a great job--they're not only told what to say but where to stand when they say it") but those award things are awfully lame...

It's just that not all actors are natural comedians, or (for example) have ever done stand-up so may not be as "quick on their feet" as others.
Yes, that was part of my point, though perhaps it was too subtle. Sort of a round-about way of saying "what does an event showing the actors being themselves have to do with a movie they played characters in?" ;) :D

Not wanting to start anything, but most in this film have already shown plenty of proof of having a gift for comedy. As far as acting being a great job because you're told exactly what to do-are you implying its easy and that anyone could do it? Doubtful...

Not wanting to start anything, but most in this film have already shown plenty of proof of having a gift for comedy. As far as acting being a great job because you're told exactly what to do-are you implying its easy and that anyone could do it? Doubtful...Well, that was a joke, lonwolf! I'm here because I love movies and appreciate the creativity of the people that make them.

You just gotta compare acting (a "silly profession" is what Marlon Brando and other actors have called it) with so many extraordinarily difficult jobs that so many less privileged, hard-working, incredibly-challenged, but non-wealthy folks toil at every day...

Well, the big names are grossly overpaid, granted, but thats the nature of the beast, isn't it? Sorry for being so literal minded, it went right over my head..:)

You just gotta compare acting (a "silly profession" is what Marlon Brando and other actors have called it) with so many extraordinarily difficult jobs that so many less privileged, hard-working, incredibly-challenged, but non-wealthy folks toil at every day...

I think you can say that about nearly any profession, but at least the entertainment industry is essentially a meritocracy. If a particular actor puts fannies in the seats and sells DVD's, then it can be argued they make what the market will bear. However, some fat middle-aged guy in the CEO's office making 400 times what the line worker in that same company is making, that's obscene in many cases. With the right training, almost anyone could do that job. And it doesn't really matter if they fail anyway, there's a golden parachute awaiting. The latest outrage is the Home Depot CEO and his "severance package"; that was disgusting.

I find it amusing that the same people who get all torqued up about "Hollywood actors" and professional jocks making so much money (the former always arouses more ire than the latter) never seem to muster up much righteous indignation about the bloated pay of the CEO class, which is much less of a meritocracy and who's fabulous pay scales are usually set by chummy directors who all serve on each other's boards. Lotta' back scratching goes on in the executive suites, but nobody seems to ever get much worked up by it.

Now i know why we keep you around Archi!

I find it amusing that the same people who get all torqued up about "Hollywood actors" and professional jocks making so much money (the former always arouses more ire than the latter) never seem to muster up much righteous indignation about the bloated pay of the CEO class...Good grief, go back and read my post again!!!

And let's add to the "easy job" category all the guys who spend most of their days, and thousands of posts, at avsforum!! :rolleyes:

For the record, I had a very hard job, and now I'm retired!!! Not rich, but retired nonetheless!!! :p

Ok Laserfan you MUST keep your weight between 140 and 145 for the next month. Here is your diet <hands Laserfan a list of bland meals>. Now your personal trainer will be working you 4 days a week, 2 sessions of 3 hours each day. On travel days, your trainer will drop you off at the airport, and pick you up at the hotel.

And there will be travel days,:12 of them this month. You have 7 rehearsals coming up over the next 3 weeks, here are the lines and background notes <hands laserfan 7 binders>. Arrive 2 hours early for Make-up.

Well, I don't get it, but then I'm not from La-La land! Is that still on planet Earth? :)

Ok Laserfan you MUST keep your weight between 140 and 145 for the next month. Here is your diet <hands Laserfan a list of bland meals>. Now your personal trainer will be working you 4 days a week, 2 sessions of 3 hours each day. On travel days, your trainer will drop you off at the airport, and pick you up at the hotel.

And there will be travel days,:12 of them this month. You have 7 rehearsals coming up over the next 3 weeks, here are the lines and background notes <hands laserfan 7 binders>. Arrive 2 hours early for Make-up.

Yes, so much tougher than digging ditches . . . :p ;) :D

John left out one little thing: You have to be good enough at it that the ditch diggers will fork over their hard earned dollars to watch you...more, you have to convince studio heads that the DD will pay to see you before they even consider you for the job...90% of actors never get to that point...
This whole conversation is getting silly.

Well, I don't get it, but then I'm not from La-La land! Is that still on planet Earth? :)

Thems fightin' words. Lucky for you, i have a tanning appointment in 20 minutes, and my race car is still plugged into the charger.

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/50565897/Electric_Car.jpg

That's good! :D

What would make it funnier tho JohnR is if you were in the pic, pushing it! ;)

Okay, John's wore me down. I got to thinking about the movie again and it does have a
sorta charming eccentricity about it (which I have to admit appeals to me).
I think what's happening with this movie and my reaction to it is a conundrum of sorts.
I like the goofiness of the characters but at the same time I'm put off by them.
I'm being tugged both ways at the same time.
Maybe that is the innovation of this little movie. I dunno.
Either that or John has suckered me into believing something that's just plain silly. I dunno.

Enjoyed this movie...but a BP nominee???

I think what we have here is some of the residue left over from Sideways still in the bong floating around the Academy.
Very similar pedigrees. ;)

I will not believe for a second that LMS is a better movie than V For Vendetta.

Well, I started this thread way-back-when to try to induce a few of you guys into the theater to see it--it was (to me) a badly named flick that was likely to get overlooked, at least by the hairy-chested (ok also by the horn-rimmed) guys here.

I loved it, but dunno if it merits "Best Picture" either. Maybe I'm naturally biased against comedies in this category.

Regardless, and in any case (that's probably redundant), I think if it (the nomination) widens the audience for this movie that will be a good thing--it does have a few (good, and sometimes hilarious) things to say about familial harmony!

I will not believe for a second that LMS is a better movie than V For Vendetta.

In many ways these 2 movies are comparable. They both had all the makings of a tired cliche' disaster, but were both saved by brilliant execution.

I liked this Movie, but not near enough as Naploean Dynamite.

I had heard through the grapevine, that this was a "Sleeper" of sorts and "very funny", so I looked forward to it.

Watched last night with my 10 Year old Son, and I kept waiting for the "Funny" parts to kick in, and all in all, there were little pieces of Comedy sprinkled, but I felt the ending was the payoff, much like Napolean Dynamite, but yet, Naploean had many subtle pieces of Comedy throughout, which many of you are saying is the case with this Movie as well, but I just didn't see it.

I just don't think LMS compares to Napolean, but thats probably my own taste, and life experience probably factors somewhat into it.

I do like the analogy from a previous poster of "Dysfunctionally functional" :D as In my own Family, my Mother, my sister and I are all very "Functional" People, yet my Family is most dysfunctional in that we don't really like eachother, and don't spend any time together, or talk at all.

Where as my Wife`s family, will argue, swear at eachother, not talk for days, has alcoholics, various other problems, yet in the end, they get over it, and we all can get together for B-days, Holidays and it ends up being rather Functional if you will.

LMS is more interesting/fun to think about afterward than it is to watch. Napoleon Dynamite is another movie I say that about. Two movies I will never have a desire to watch again, yet I will always appreciate them for a number of reasons.

LMS is more interesting/fun to think about afterward than it is to watch.

Very astute observation...and I agree.
Sideways had a similiar response from me. ;)

And movies that are fun to think about afterwards, are even more fun to watch a second time!

And movies that are fun to think about afterwards, are even more fun to watch a second time!

I would to on to say that those kinds of movies are the only ones worthy of a second viewing. Fluff is usually one and out.

After the first viewing, i had realized that there was some great subtleties but I couldnt pinpoint many, so I rewatched it, and thats when i realized this was the movie of the year.

On rewatch, almost every scene had something atypical about it .... and it was usually what didnt happen in the scene. The teenager didnt create a scene when he realized he had to share his room. The guy buying the magazines didn't breakdown ....
The little girl didn't win over the audience, instead she celebrated a personal and family triumph etc.

Yep, almost every scene ...

Well my wife and I just watched this tonight and I have to say the experience was unexpected. We were laughing out loud at quite a few scenes. I don't know if its the familiarity with the subject matter as some have referenced with their own families, but it was HILARIOUS! I'm a long time Kinnear fan from the days of Talk Soup so glad to see him in anything. The scenes with Carrell as well as Alan Alda were priceless. Alda's character was so out of left field for me, I kinda expected anything to come out his mouth, often with comedic thump. Almost all of his scenes elicited laughter especially the VW exchange with the teenager.
While I really did enjoy it, I am torn regarding its awards; I think they deserve recognition for their efforts, it was a very good film, for me, totally enjoyable, not predictable or cliche'd, but I don't know if they deserve top honors at the Oscars. As mentioned before, its themes are not usual comedic fodder, though they helped to both identify and distinguish the characters so you kninda knew what to expect from each of them once it got rolling. To each his own though. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks to the OP for bringing attention to this flick as its title can indeed be misleading.

The scenes with Carrell as well as Alan Alda were priceless. Alda's character was so out of left field for me, I kinda expected anything to come out his mouth, often with comedic thump.

Alan Arkin

http://entimg.msn.com/i/150/Movies/Actors2/Arkin_HG0106505_150x200.jpg

Alan Alda

http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/bios/images/alda.jpg

Wow, I never knew they were the same guy! I think I like him alot better without hair... ;)

Just two comments on Mr. Arkin:
He checked into The Pink Panther series, doing the Peter Sellers role in A Shot In the Dark. A role that PS seemingly owned, Arkin not only made it his own but also made you forget anyone else ever played it while watching. If you think thats no big deal, check out what Steve Martin did to the character.:)
Also, in a carreer of playing bumbling, inept idiots(sorta a tasteful Jerry Lewis), he just happened to create one of the most ruthless, terrifying villians ever on screen in Wait Until Dark. Even as you hate the character for what he does you have to marvel at his coolness, admire him, even. One of the best bad guys ever, imo.
just a gentle reminder of the great career Arkin has had.

Thanks for the clarification Josh, my bad :D

Wow...quite a nice list of awards (so far) for this film....


LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Best picture: Academy Award nomination, Producers Guild Award, Independent Spirit nomination

Best ensemble cast: Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Award

Best supporting actor,
Alan Arkin: Academy Award nomination, Independent Spirit nomination

Best supporting actor, Paul Dano: Independent Spirit nomination

Best supporting actress, Abigail Breslin: Academy Award nomination

Best young actor, Paul Dano: Critics' Choice Award

Best young actress, Abigail Breslin: Critics' Choice Award

Best director, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris: Independent Spirit nomination

Best original screenplay, Michael Arndt: Academy Award nomination, Writers Guild award, Independent Spirit nomination, Critics' Choice Award, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association

Top 10 lists: American Film Institute, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Online



Source: Who's won what leading up to the Oscars (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070212/ap_en_mo/film_awards_tracker;_ylt=AgB6deMCvsdKZ0W7g8edHUQnHL8C)

Just two comments on Mr. Arkin:
He checked into The Pink Panther series, doing the Peter Sellers role in A Shot In the Dark. A role that PS seemingly owned, Arkin not only made it his own but also made you forget anyone else ever played it while watching.
Just one comment about Alan Alda.
He checked into the M*A*S*H series (which should have ended with the movie), doing the Donald Sutherland role. A role that DS did own. Alda not only didn't make it his own, but he made me wish I could forget that anyone played it besides Sutherland.

Just one comment about Alan Alda.
He checked into the M*A*S*H series (which should have ended with the movie), doing the Donald Sutherland role. A role that DS did own. Alda not only didn't make it his own, but he made me wish I could forget that anyone played it besides Sutherland.

:)

Just one comment about Alan Alda.
He checked into the M*A*S*H series (which should have ended with the movie), doing the Donald Sutherland role. A role that DS did own. Alda not only didn't make it his own, but he made me wish I could forget that anyone played it besides Sutherland.
I was serving in the Navy when M*A*S*H hit the big screen, and was fortunate enough to see it on our ship - talk about a rip-roaring time. :D It truly is a classic, and duplicating characters from that movie is impossible. Having said that; I loved the TV series and shed more than a few tears during the final episode. I always considered the movie and TV series as two entirely different entities. I thought Alan Alda expanded the movie character to show a more thoughtful and serious side to what was happening during the Korean (Vietnam) War - the TV series took M*A*S*H to another level IMO. So many episodes would leave you with some heavy thoughts, and with the humor that was always present; I found it to be an expertly balanced show. Having a cousin serve two tours of duty in Vietnam, and with my service in the Navy during that time (some of it cruising off the Vietnam coast), made this show very special - one of my favorite TV series of all-time.

I’m not a big Alan Alda fan, but I really did enjoy his portrayal as Hawkeye, and anyone would have to admit he had a rather impressive run.

During the course of the series' eleven year run on CBS, Alda was nominated for 21 Emmys. He won five of the golden statuettes, and became the first person to win the award as an actor, writer and director. In addition to his Emmys, Alda has won the Writer's Guild Award twice, the Director's Guild Award three times, six Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as Best Comedy Actor, and seven People's Choice Awards. He also nabbed the coveted Humanitas Award for writing the poignant episode "Dreams" (from a story be Alda and James Jay Rubinfier), which aired during the eighth season of M*A*S*H.

http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/5576/Alda.htm

Yea, and Captain Kangaroo had a pretty long run too. :D

p.s. by the way, Aliens. I coulda used your help a couple days ago when they threw me out of the TV forum. Because you woulda taken my side on that one. :D

How could any forum deny themselves your wit and insights, Robert? I'm shocked. Out of curiosity, which forum are we talking about?

The HDTV forum here.
It's okay. The last thing I want to do is derail this thread with that. Me and it just didn't see eye to eye is all. I'm not compatible with the folks over there. It's not a problem. I can live with that and so can they (boy can they ever). ;) :D
Please, we best drop it at this point. Humor me.

Humor me.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Deltoid/comp.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Deltoid/TV.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Deltoid/gun.jpg

This is my reply to that, Aliens. :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=G6MJVzXbqRU

p.s. I know that video is not what this thread is about. But I have a feeling that even Larry won't hold it against me just this once (if I promise not to do it again). It's just too funny and it would be a crime to deprive ya'll from seeing it.
Besides it is actually on-topic to what we discuss here. It's a professional video made for the BBC.

Larry (Pooper Scooper),

If you're mad about that last post and you need to punish me or kick me out I'll understand and take my lumps. But please don't punish others by shutting down the thread. They didn't have anything to do with it this time and that wouldn't be fair to them.

Bob

Hey I have a Redneck Flatscreen in my kitchen! :)

Thank goodness that youtube BBC video has now been taken down. Now Larry won't have to suspend me. :D

Suffice to say that what you missed is creating a huge splash on British television as we speak.

I, too, thought Little Miss Sunshine was a great movie. I finally got around to watching it this weekend. The casting was perfect! I can't think of anybody that would have done a better job in any of the roles. Alan Arkin was wonderful.

larry

Hmm, I just watched this...the movie was enjoyable, but the dance number at the end was a little too weird and uncomfortable for me.

You mean you were OK with the rest of the pageant?