Therapist Reacts to LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE with Directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
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- Опубліковано 22 лют 2024
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What happens when you don’t achieve you dreams? What happens when perfectionism goes too far?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are taking a look at Little Miss Sunshine with the directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. They’re talking about Richard’s harmful perfectionism and what happens when chasing your dream doesn’t work out. The directors share what it was like to work with such an exceptional cast and how they encouraged a realistic family dynamic. They particularly honor the late Alan Arkin’s fantastic performance. And they all talk about what gets the family to a better place.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, Corinne Demyanovich, and Stu Arbury
Edited by: Emily Colton
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis
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Despite Dwayne claiming that he hates his entire family, he has a soft spot for Olive, and it's fitting that she's the one who comforts him after his breakdown. Paul Dano should have been Oscar nominated for his work here.
Olive is also the only one that he doesn't scream their failures at during his breakdown.
I always glad that Dano found so much success after this film. When I saw it first time I was semi praying he would be picked up, because everyone else had strong careers. Breslin is Lilo after all (another top ten film for me and fave Disney).
He is absolutely fantastic in War and Peace with Lily James and There will be Blood.
@@Firegen1Agreed, I hope that Dano eventually wins an Oscar, he's fantastic in every project that he's in. He sadly wasn't even nominated for "The Fabelmans", despite giving a solid performance.
@@Firegen1 Lilo was actually played by Daveigh Chase.
Agreed. I think there's something to the sibling relationship they have that makes her comfort more effective, meaningful, and authentic.
my dad has always told me that in times of grief or loss, the best thing one can do is be there. he calls it the ministry of presence
John Green uses "Don't just do something, be there"
No advice, no comment, just be there for me. To me, that's LOVE.
Ministry of presence is a fantastic way to explain it. If you or Dad don't mind may we share that?
In the bible it says "mourn with those that mourn and rejoice with those that rejoice." Being present for and mirroring the emotions of people really is the most loving thing we can do sometimes.
As she sat with me when my mother died, my knowing friend called it "sharing emotional company"
I liked how they illustrated the pagent's hypocrisy in a subtle way. Apparently, it's fine for preteen and tween girls to parade about in midriff revealing attire, but Olive's provocative, yet still innocent dance routine is apparently going too far.
Yes!! The rest of the girls where weirder to me (non american, no pagent culture) than Olive
Yep. And also it may have hit a raw nerve with them, like they were perceiving that they were being called out.
I was thinking the same thing! Like Olive's dance felt much tamer than some of the other girls' dances, it just wasn't a "traditional" pageant choice of music and dance style
In the commentary on the DVD, the directors say they were trying to go for realism, rather than make a statement--they did a call for real pageant girls, and all the pageant stuff (like in the dressing room, etc.) is their actual stuff.
Pre-teen and early teen pageants really creep me out.
These are kids who should be busy learning and playing and having friends.
If they compete it ought to be about skills, like athletics, art, music, farming, science, writing, spelling bees, and so on.
Not showing off their bodies.
Abigail Breslin was a perfect Olive, she really captured all of Olive's sunny personality, making her stand out amongst her dark and brooding family members. I love when the entire family works together to convince her to eat her favourite ice cream, and her conversation with Miss California always touches me, since it's implied that she knows why Olive is asking the question.
@trinaq - I read where they put some padding on little Breslin's tummy to made her rounder and less beauty princess-like. I was surprised because it looked so naturally Olive.
I agree
There is a Swedish saying with roughly translates to "Shared sorrow is halved sorrow, shared joy is doubled joy". The people who will share both with you, all the way, that's your family.
Wow that’s awesome!! Thank you for sharing.
Omg our English teacher taught us this but never mentioned anything about Sweden. And I am from Ukraine😅
We have a simular saying in Germany
Thats beautiful ❤❤❤
"A lot of the most harmful parenting comes from a place of love." Oof, that hit hard.
Yeah. It's just so true. Hearing Jono say that just flashed a number of incidents in life that were so hard because of that truth.
Woah!, ouch ! 😬😳
A quote from Star Trek I go back to when things don't go the way I expect or want.
"You can make no mistakes and still lose, that's not a failure, that's life."
Said by Picard to Data.
It really is a great quote.
You can do everything right and still lose. You can follow everyone's standards and still lose. Life isn't meant to be good or to be won, it's just meant to be lived.
@@Kinglore2000 well said friend
Conversely you can make all the mistakes and still end up winning.
I love that quote so so so much! I have ever since I first saw that episode - It made my day to see it shared here!
One of my favorite movies. It has so many layers. Including the sexualization of little girls in pageants. The little girls with all the hair and makeup look like mini women, then Olive, who looks like a normal little girl, does this outrageous sexualized routine (completely innocently). The irony is pitch-perfect. I absolutely loved this movie!!
I love that Valerie got emotional watching Alan on screen. Watching this movie after him passing, I myself can’t help but be reminded of it. Such a legendary actor and beautiful character he brought to life.
Shout out to Johno for the Rocketeer drop
Rocketeer 4 Life!
@@CinemaTherapyShowYes! 😊
I remember bringing the VHS to show and tell when I was in Kindergarten. The Rocketeer is sadly underrated.
That was such a raw moment, and I really, really hope it was just edited strangely, because it seemed like Jono literally cut her off mid-sentence and changed the subject... 🙈 That would have been very frustrating (and so out of place for a therapist, of all people, to do...!). I really hope she did have a chance to properly talk about the feelings it brought up, that she was listened to and reacted to with empathy (and not actually interrupterd!), and that it was just cut from the video. I mean, it must have been, right?! Jono wouldn't... right? But yeah, that part of the video just made me wince.
@@efoxkitsune9493 I felt the same and there were quite a few moments like that in this episode, but I’m going to chalk them all up to editing. I can’t imagine how hard it is getting four people talking and showing clips from a movie in a coherent and fluid manner that also doesn’t stray from the point. It was frustrating for sure, but I personally still felt satisfied with the video.
Just a little detail i noticed, when Dwayne is having his breakdown and screams at everyone, he has something to say about everyone but Olive. But Olive is the only one to have any reaction. Sometimes, not only does blowing up not have an effect on the people you want it to, but it can hurt the ones you don't want to affect
That's an astute observation, I love how much Dwayne cares for Olive, despite claiming that he hates his entire family, and called them all losers. The scene where she silently consoles him really speaks volumes about their relationship, as does the scene where he tries to convince Sheryl to pull Olive out of the pageant, as she's obviously not beauty queen material.
Exactly, and it’s because he knows that Olive has none of the problems the rest of the family have.
Think about it. She’s not suicidal or depressed. She’s not a heroin user. She’s not obsessed with perfectionism and success to such an absurd degree. She’s not worried about financial stability. And most of all, she’s not sworn to silence for any reason and carrying any nihilistic tendencies or feelings of detachment towards the world. (Dwayne was reading Nietzsche in the car.) She’s just a kid who is interested in pageants and wants to be a part of one.
Thus, why call her out at all? It’d be ridiculous, and he’s aware of that. It’s a simple way of showing the restraint he has in yelling out what everyone’s bullshit is and being angry about its existence. She doesn’t have any bullshit at all to deal with, but she’s forced to live around it anyway.
@@redgambitt_8260 I see what you mean, but the point I was making wasn't 'why' he didn't snap at her. I was pointing out that even though she's the one he didn't yell at, she's the only one who nervously fidgets in the scene. Dwayne blowing up and lashing out didn't hurt who it intended, but it hurt Olive. And she still goes to comfort him bc she knows that it came from a place of him being terribly hurt
@@richardchisenhall387 I know. I read your whole comment. Now, don’t get me wrong, you have a good point. The last thing I’m interested in is taking that away from you.
I’m simply focusing on the first half because I think there’s more to discuss on. I personally find the hidden love Dwayne holds for her by refusing to yell directly at her more fascinating than his outburst affecting her the most. I think a small part of that is due to what Jono said. The number one thing he needed in that moment was a little empathy and affection, which Olive was in the best place to give after all that. However, if anyone else stepped up to the plate, he _might_ have acted similarly.
In your defense, though, what I think Jono misses is that I think only someone like Olive was _always_ going to be the best candidate to console him. Given his lack of anger at her and his refusal to attribute her to any kind of problem, he’ll trust her the most in that situation. He may not _truly_ hate any of his family, but last time I checked, anyone who is frustrated at someone else’s issues and bullshit won’t easily be swayed by them. They’ll either need to cool off or take time to reflect on what just happened.
@@redgambitt_8260 I'll be honest, I don't know if it's you're intent or not, but I feel a lot of condescension in this reply. As such I do not wish to continue the discussion.
Also the beauty pageant winner on the judges panel is smiling and grooving in her chair. Shoutout to her for finding the joy
I LOVE how much Miss California is enjoying it!
I see her as someone along with the sound guy she hates her job doing this beauty pageant and all of the fun shake up for her. That’s why she was having fun watching Oliver’s dance.
20:23 I love how Olive is apparently gonna go talk to him… but she’s just a baby - and she just puts her arm around him. Sits with him for a bit. Really that’s all he needed. That was so cute and the best response
It reminds of the scene in Inside Out, where Bing Bong is crying, and Sadness just says, "that's sad."
Yup, sometimes we just need others to acknowledge and make space for our feelings. It's just so beautifully performed that the scene gets me EVERY time
Also how when their mom was upset, Dwight tells her to hug mom. So when he’s upset, she takes his advice again
As someone who deals withn suicidal thoughts every day. I can't explain why this movie means so much but it does
Please don’t hurt yourself I hope your ok and it’s gonna be ok 🫂
The world will always be better with you in it. I hate motivational stuff, but this one has stuck with me. I hope it helps.
I had that same thought watching it the first time. I just love Steve Carell in it so much.
I feel you (the whole statement). you are stronger than you think
Because you’re doing your best and that’s worth celebrating.
I love Dwayne and Olive's relationship in this movie. I'm a sucker for positive sibling relationships in movies that too often makes them rude/mean to each other. Idk it's really sweet to see a big brother being so sweet (realistically) to his little sister.
Also, I wonder if they deliberately had a "United We Stand" sign in the back during Dwayne's breakdown scene?
@icelily1761 - Maybe the film makers did arrange for that sign. In major motion pictures, very little is left to chance.
OH MY GOD I DID NOT EXPECT THIS
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COVERING AND HAVING THE DIRECTORS OF THIS MOVIE JOIN! THIS FILM WAS MY CHILDHOOD
You're so welcome!
Right?! I saw this on my page & was SO happy. This is my all time favorite movie & after just failing out of college & having my own morphed dream crushed, I needed this. Thanks so much @CinemaTherapyShow !! Love you guys♥️
Whoa, you were allowed to watch this R rated film as a child?!
I love Dwayne and Olive's relationship, she's there to comfort him even if she doesn't fully understand what he's going through, he wants to protect her from the cruel world of beauty contests, they both really care about each other and I think it's beautiful
@jovar4337 - My brother died some years ago and I still miss him. I miss him more than my parents.
I always love brother-sister relationships, and they usually remind me of my relationship with my brother. I love how they are close in a way no other two members of the family are.
@@mollymarjorie9495 Yes ! I feel exactly the same
My psychology professor covered this movie in class last semester. Thank you, Alan and Jonathan, for talking about this movie.
That's awesome! Thanks for watching!
I wonder what was the one take-way from your class?
We covered Good Will hunting in one of mine many years ago😁. Absolutely love how psych classes tie in movies to apply concepts and such!
It wasn't a collage class but I had a high school phych class and we watched Sybil. I had already seen the movie, then I read the book and looked up the story on my own about a year before I i took the class but most of my classmates had no idea what it was really about. They heard multiple personalities and were cool with a movie day. We had a first time teacher who didn't check to make sure if the film was okay for our age group. We didn't get to watch the ending. I was asked not to be so detailed on what I knew in the group discussion. It probably would have been a great discussion topic for collage students not 16-18 year olds. But the teacher tried and thats all that matters.
mine had me watch it also in HS psych, but we saw the ending too. I agree that is a film that is best suited for college students. I think though that this film is also super important for college students as well to break down the meaning. @@Leah-xu2fd
8:30 the acting in the ice-cream conversation scene always boils my blood. I know that’s the point but still!! I had a coach like this as a teenager and it's how I developing eating disorders. Well acted, and unfortunately very true to life for some people
Yeah same but i take it as indicative of how good the scene is - it wouldn't piss us off as much if it didn't feel just a bit uncomfortably real.
And i love how Olive is later talking to the Miss Whatever about icecream and is so happy to hear, that she can eat ice and win
that scene shows dwaynes softness so so well for me, him leaning in to comfort his sister and convincing her to eat the ice cream cuz his dad is being an ass is such a clear form of love to me
I watched this movie with my older sister around a year ago. I remember really relating to the mom saying "you got to let Olive be Olive" I was just diagnosed with ADHD and autism around a month ago. And Olive reminds me so much of myself as a little kid. ❤️
Not me immediately getting called out for being awake at 2am in Australia
Same, 7am in Philippines, just finished work haha
And thus is why we love you both!
This movie is the one that I come back to when sad. It pulls me through my sadness instead of out of it. I leave feeling better but also dont have to ignore or distract from how I was feeling and that’s why it’s one of my favorites
YES!
That’s such a good way of stating it.
@@salyx thank you! It’s a movie I think about a lot and truly love. Needless to say I was very excited to see this episode
Just before this film came out, I attended a 4-day improv workshop taught by Alan Arkin. One of the proudest moments of my life will be making him laugh so hard that he fell out of his chair. He was an absolute gem of a human, and I feel so privledged to have gotten to know him.
That scene with Olive and her grandad before he died, is so heartwarming and touching. Even as a grown woman watching it, it uplifted me and gave me a greater perspective on winning and losing. This is an important film, it’s a comfort film of mine. There’s so much to learn from it.
I have to admit, I have repeated that advice to myself when feeling like a loser at times.
@@melaniab3482 They are very powerful words, and more people should hear them!
I think the worst part about people that say “you’re not listening” is that they perceive listening as doing what they’re told. I’ve taken my passed friend’s example to heart and and actually finally got the courage to tell someone that told me “You’re not listening” and respond with “I am listening. I heard every word. YOU are just upset that I’m not DOING what you said because your advice is not an order I am going to follow every time.”
To touch on the weight issue, my dad has often advised me to keep away from the sweets. It’s not because he says I’m fat, which I am, I have been obese for most of my life. He says he wants me to live a good, long life and he worries because our family has health issues: cancer, diabetes, heart and blood pressure issues. We’re not perfect, but we’re not dysfunctional. We argue, but we’re not toxic, we’re only trying to support each other because we want to see each other grow old
refined sugars are almost poisonous. glad your dad is looking out for you.
I think there is a big difference between encouraging healthy behaviors and sacrificing a kid's confidence to meet some arbitary standard. I am glad your dad was concerned about you having the health to pursue what you want from life.
@@VS-re1sr 💯 true. Thank you. He’s always been super sensitive when suggesting it, rather than demanding it, which shows he cares, but I still have the choice
Regarding the swearing discussion at 28:20, I remember reading a text back in highschool written by a priest in defence of swearing. What he said was that if you're carrying a bike down the stairs to the basement, and you trip and fall the last couple of steps and hit yourself, something like "Oh, my" or "Sweet jeebus" just isn't going to cut it. You have to yell and the words have to hurt.
The diner scene gets me every time. You can see her little brain working and realizing that beauty=deprivation 😢 Makes the scene with the pageant winner that much sweeter.
Every actor in this movie is just incredible.
It's a fantastic ensemble piece of art, and beautiful direction and camera work too ❤
@@JK_Clark Absolutely!
Literally, this film has such a special place in my heart. My uncle, Michael Arndt, was the screenwriter for this wonderful movie. It was his big break and so exciting for the family!
I learned of this film because I was a student of Michael Arndt's brother when I was in college. In a way, they both taught me a lot about writing. Thanks for sharing!
@@nicelybereswek4706 Awesome!
Please tell your uncle I love the movie he wrote
Directs one of the greatest movies I’ve seen -> Casually collabs with one of my favourite UA-cam channels 😂
When I was a track athlete, one of the things that was hammered home to me was that, even if you come in last, doing your personal best was more important. If you've done your best, no one can take that from you.
Sounds like some solid coaching!
This movie inspired me to be a writer. I saw it on tv when I was thirteen and it was the first movie that made me cry. Dwayne's break down was what did it for me on the first viewing, but every time I rewatch, I see it through the lens of a different family member. Everybody has their own struggles and they cope with them in unique ways. So glad you guys took a look and I loved seeing Valerie and Jonathan on here. Thank you!!
Same. I still get goosebumps everytime I watch that scene. It's so good. So cool you became a writer because of this movie.
Dude I totally relate to everything you said!! I also first saw this film at around 12 years old. This film inspired me to get more into acting, writing, and filmmaking. I also tend to relate more to a different character every time I watch it depending on what’s going on in my life. Sometimes it’s Frank, sometimes it’s Olive, sometimes it’s Dwayne, etc.
I watched this movie as a kid (I had unmonitored movie access at my house growing up lol) and even back then, I learned from this movie that as long as you were having fun, you were a winner. That mentality stuck with me my whole life
I was 12-13 when this movie came out and I watched it on DVD with my family. That scene with Paul Dano finding out he was colour blind and breaking down has stuck with me ever since. Literally 17-18 years on I cannot look at an ishihara plate without thinking of that scene. As cheesy as it sounds I feel like seeing that at my younger age prepared me for my own failures that happened as I got older. My own dreams for my career got crushed in my 20s and I think one of the reasons I could make it through with my humor intact was just having that one scene in my head to remind me that despite everything i had built myself around was crumbling down, I still had things to live for.
I was 15-16 when it came out and that scene literally has been burned in my brain for almost 20 years at this point. That was some impactful stuff, man. It's also how I learned you can't be a pilot if you're colorblind.
OMG, that scene was totally burned in my mind, too. Whenever I see that ishihara plate I think of this scene also. I think it's a good reminder whenever someone is trying to brainwash me with BS about how everything is 100% in my control and if something doesn't work out, it must have been something I did wrong... well, I have this reminder that life can throw in so many things that are just bad luck, bad timing, etc that affect what we can do and how we will do in life. It's helped me accept some of limitations of my chronic conditions without as much guilt. I hope to get to a place with zero guilt.
same. when I was a child I was a swimmer and I loved it, but my vision got worse to the point where it was dangerous for me to continue swimming. when I decided to stop and not compete anymore, I just remembered this scene
when they said "two of my favorite directors" I thought he was gesturing to the two bags of popcorn...
When Olive goes down to her brother I have always seen it the way Jonathan described. She was the only one who didn’t make it about her or ask anything of him - she just sat with him and let him has his moment and time he needed.
I wish more people when they hear bad things instead of going for cheering up automatically or even worse the “other have it worse” speech is just to go “yeah you know that really sucks that happened to you you must be upset and I’m really sorry for you. Acknowledge the issue, the persons rights to their feelings and don’t make it anything else but them and how they are feeling and acknowledge their emotions even if you don’t understand it they are feeling what they are feeling.
I think we forget sometimes that there is no shortcut to end the grief. No one can be talked out of it. One has to go through the hard emotions. It's painful for loved ones to watch as no one wants to watch someone they love in pain and suffering.... But, it's far more healing to accept that a person has to go through it and to either let them be and let them deal or keep them company.
The book "the rabbit listened"!! A child is dealing with sadness, all the animals try to help in different ways--think about the good times, let's be angry, let's get revenge etc--but the rabbit just listened and sat with the child ❤
Dear Jonathan and Valerie. Thanks for making of my top ten favourite films. ❤
"We're not focused on being our best because we are too focused on being the best"
Such a good quote.
This is one of my favorite films of all time. One silly detail elevated it from "great" to "greatest" in my mind: I learned to drive in a Volkswagen Vanagon, and at one point the horn started blaring for no reason and wouldn't stop. We went to a mechanic who eventually gave up, and said, "You're just going to have to live with this or get a new car." So when the horn started blowing in this film and wouldn't stop, I laughed untiI not only cried, but I couldn't follow the rest of the dialog for a while.
When I was 17, I had a pretty severe episode of depression. I went to see a psychiatrist and got on prozac. I also wanted to be a commercial pilot and had started planning out a path to achieve that. Fast-forward a couple months, I go to get my physical which is a requirement to get a commercial license, and because of my history with depression and suicidal thoughts, I get denied. I go see a specialist the next state over to appeal and hopefully overturn the decision. It takes months to hear back from the FAA, so by the time I hear back, I've started college at a school with an aviation program. The FAA still rejects it.
Seeing the absolute despair on the teen when he's told he cant fly hit uncomfortably close to home. I had a whole career path uprooted in an instant too and it has messed me up. The worst part for me though is remembering how excited and proud my mom and dad were when they got to tell others that their daughter wanted to be a pilot, because it now feels like I was a fraud and didn't deserve that pride placed in me. It's also especially hard when I meet people I haven't seen in a while because they always ask if I'm still flying. It's one of those things that quickly becomes part of who you are in the eyes of others which makes it almost impossible to get away from. It sucks, and the pain always follows me around like a second shadow.
One of my favorite movies ever. I was only a little older than Olive at the time, and while I didn't understand it as well as I do now (like, I was unfamiliar with the concept of suicide and didn't know what heroin was), it still stayed with me. This family's kind of messy, and they've got issues, but even though they don't always get it right, there's not a drop of toxicity among them (unless you count Richard's unhealthy 'winner' mentality, which he overcomes). Even though they don't always get it, and even though they butt heads, they love each other. It's honestly one of my favorite depictions of a family.
That scene between Allen Arkin and Greg Kinnear. Still makes me cry.
Dwayne’s screaming scene stuck out to me so much at the time watching it as a teen for the first time. I wonder how many takes that took.
I only saw this movie last year, and immediately fell in love with it. All of the performances, the direction, the writing are all incredible. The line "A real loser is someone that's so afraid of not winning, that they don't even try." Is one of the best lines ever put to film
Agreed
The humor (sometimes dark) and drama I felt blended quite well together, and the actors did amazing.
I feel like you can tell when a movie has been made with love. I can feel so much love from Little Miss Sunshine and its directors.
I had entirely forgotten how immense this movie is. I watched it on the plane going home to the UK not long after it came out and sobbed the whole way through, but never watched it again. I am a dumbass and it's going on my list of 'films I need to own on DVD and show the family'! I love your unpacking of it, and thank you for having the directors on to discuss it; so lovely to 'meet' them!
The whole world needs to integrate this film.
Our families need this level of understanding
I LOVE THIS MOVIE! The entire thing is just done almost perfectly. All of the family are flawed and imperfect, (apart from Olive) and it works. The scene where Dwayne learns he is colourblind is so good. It really depicts pressure, sadness, and the beauty in just imperfection.
It is so beautiful to see the directors themselves shed tears for Alan, knowing that actors aren't just co-workers but beloved family and friends. Crying myself for Alan. He will be missed 😭😭😭
For a movie about faults and learning to accept them with love and kindness, this movie is absolutely perfect.
The scene of the brother's colorblind breakdown still lives rent-free in my head to this very day
I am so grateful for the parents I had in my life. By no means were they perfect, but they always encouraged my sisters and I to reach for our dreams. They made sure we understood the difficulties associated with those dreams, and made sure we knew that sometimes our dearest dreams might not come true. But they taught us the value of trying. Most importantly, we always felt we had their support and love, no matter how our endeavors turned out. I remember once, after having a devastatingly bad semester of college, being in my room crying. My dad came in and like in this movie, just hugged me for like 10 minutes. He finally said "You have my love son, and so, you will never be a failure to me". I am so thankful to have that encouragement in my life. And yes, I retook classes and ultimately got my degree.
This is one of my favorite movies ever. I’ve had 3 vintage beetles and have experienced that horn issue. When that scene happened, I was laughing so hard I actually fell out of my theater chair. Thank you to everyone involved in making this movie and thank you for covering it ❤❤❤
Dwayne claims to hate everyone, but he clearly has a soft spot for Frank and Olive which I love. He cares about Frank enough to ask him not to unalive himself and they bond over the film even with him not talking through most of it. And even though he clearly does not like the beauty pageant and tries to protect Olive from it, he still ultimately supports her when she performs cause he knows what it means to her. It all makes him feel very real as a character
First time I watched this movie, I laughed until I cried... the second time I just cried. A lot.
Haven't seen it since, but lost it as one of my favorites.
Your video made me rewatch the film, and i realize that in the scene where the family is in the hospital and the mom starts crying, Dwayne tells olive to hug her, so of course when he's crying she's gonna hug him, because that's what he taught her!!
Valorie is on point 3:43 - many many great conversations happen in the safety and closeness of the car or vehicle. including family convos, relation ship ones, friendship ones. You are in a small, quite space that is super physically close too, but you dont have to look into eyes and sometimes that can really help get things flowing when you are just using your ears to hear and respond. (my opinion any way) but the table is also a smaller space where its flipped and you dont need to talk as much because you can use you eyes to observe as you do haver the forced perspective of facing people. in this way these two environments can lead to a lot of deep times for people regardless of their physical abilities / sense, just the proximity and encapsulating environment of the table or car really changes the dynamic of conversation.
One of my top three college papers I'm most proud of was for my Interpersonal Communications class, and it was about this film. General thesis was that even though the individuals are dysfunctional, the communication among them all is top-notch and effective, allowing them to tackle all the obstacles that come their way together despite their individual issues. The collective is so much stronger because they communicate. It's a message I've carried over into my own fiction work, because it's that incredibly important. THANK YOU for taking a deep dive on this movie!
I love this movie! Seeing the directors made me realize I had no clue who WROTE it -- a situation which had to be remedied at once! Now I know it's the writing of Michael Arndt, and I am immensely grateful to him. He also worked on the script of Toy Story 3!! ❤ Two of the most heartfelt stories I've seen in film.
This film is the reason I’m in film school today. It completely changed my world ❤
This is one of my favorite movies! As someone who traveled all over CA in a VW bus, I felt very seen. The push start, the stuck horn (mom had to pull over and rip the wires out 😂). Then the family dancing at the climax was such a perfect build up that I ended up SOBBING on the floor from laughing so hard. That’s how you do a comedic scene!
the perfect film about family
I love this channel but I had a particular reason NOT to watch this video until today.
I am precisely watching this video at the same moment that my dreams are falling apart: everything I did, invested, changed, moved and traveled served to realize that my dreams are not going to come true.
I'm writing this while I'm figuring out what I'm going to do because nothing I planned turned out well.
Luckily, I'm realizing that I have people in my life who make me feel like I have a safe place to go back to and that it's okay to start over.
Thank you for this video and for all the work you do. You are helping so many people, including me.
I have seen this movie over ten times and I cry every single time when Dwayne finds out he's colorblind.
As a person currently failing my way through life, this video made me genuinely happy. Thanks.
I can’t believe how many times I cried watching this video. There are so many poignant, beautiful and heartbreaking moments in this film and it’s just perfect. Alan Arkin was a staple of my childhood and has always reminded me very much of my father, and I’ll admit I bawled the day he died. Thank you for reviewing this one!
I loved this movie! The casting was amazing and alan arkin and abigail breslin's chemistry especially were beautiful. Alan arkin was a gem 🥺.
Your channel is one of my favourites about movies. But this episode was amazing! This film is precious and your video made me laugh and cry all over again ❤ Lots of kisses from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Mais uma brasileira aqui também ❤
Mais duas!
I'm not nearly as good at breaking down what makes a good movie good as you all are, but when I saw this movie for the first time, I knew I loved it. It felt very real. Everyone seemed like they were based on real kinds of people or real characteristics without being caricatures.
This movie gave me a lot of hope at a time in my life when I didn’t have any.
Thank you so much for covering it!
Little Miss Sunshine should be re-released with this interview as its Director’s Cut - for this new generation and for the generations to come.
I saw this movie in theatres and LOVED it.
Later, I was visiting my family in Colorado and some aunts and uncles went to rent a few DVDs and I decided to stay out of it.
They brought this movie home and I did NOT think it was going to go over.
Most of my family thought it was weird but it's the only time I've seen my mother turn around and immediately rewatch a movie.
Jono!👏👏👏👏👏Your message at 12minutes! I use that with my kids. Mainly my teenager as things are harder for her right now. I always tell her to do her best, that's I all I want from her. No perfection, no "go getter", just her best. And I check in with her on it by asking "are you happy with it?" She gets mad, but I don't back down, because I want her to acknowledge to herself that she did her best for her, not make it her fall back response to me.
Olive’s silent hug reflects the teenager’s vow of silence back to him.
The color blind scene is so powerful. It's literally the only thing I think of when I think of this movie.
One of my favourite quotes that I still find comfort from, even after all these years is from Neil Gaiman's bittersweet story, 'The Ocean At The End of The Lane,' which states: "You don't pass or fail at being a person."
I think everyone needs to hear that.
I think it was fitting that Olive comfort Dwayne. I tear up at that scene because it reminds of my younger sister who didn’t know what to say and would hide my tears from her but she never let me.
“You can lose but still win.” Yup, they won.
I always wondered if people discovered that they were color blind from this movie. Also, Toni Collette is everything. Also, what event other than a child's beauty pageant could have worked for this. Just brilliant all around ❤
"A lot of the most harmful parenting comes from a place of love."
I am in so much awe you were able to get the directors in
The thing I love most about this film is that I think it shows that whilst some families can be dysfunctional, there can still be a lot of love and there’s the chance to work through the issues and become stronger as a result.
y'all's hunger games duoligy was so good, you've GOT to do a villain therapy about the ballad of songbirds and snakes.
This has been my comfort movie for years 🥺😍🥰
This movie is one of my all time favorites and is criminally underrated. Thank you for talking about it because it is such an incredible story about family
Thanks for watching!
Little Miss Sunshine was such an important movie for me, it’s so great to see it covered here. Also, as a long-time watcher of your channel, it’s so great to see you guys getting such awesome guest appearances!!
Paul Dani is exceptional in this movie. Everyone is exceptional.
This film is one of my all-time most cherished. When we saw it in theatres, one of my friends turned to me during the end scene and whispered, "it's not _that_ funny," because he was embarrassed by how hard I was laughing. (I replied, "*yes it is!*"!)
The diner scene is the one that cut me to my core. My proportions as a kid were a lot like Olive's, and I had people close to me fat-shaming me with expectations the way her dad does, and I come from a big, messy extended family where people let things simmer but also find ways to challenge each other, including with humor (like meaningfully blowing a straw wrapper at someone). I saw my childhood and my adulthood in that scene. I am sure it's far, far more than myself and Alan who saw themselves in at least one moment in the film. Thanks to Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. And thanks to Jono and Alan as well.
Absolutely without a doubt one of my favorite movies of all time. I love indie road trip films with a lot of heart and emotional beats but that are at the same time super funny and this movie gives that to you in spades. Also, that scene with Paul Dano is one of the best acting performances ever. Gives me chills every time I see it.
I had tears welling uo and my throat closed through this video. This movie makes me so emotional
This has been a favorite of mine I think since I was in college. When I’m feeling really low or having a “bad brain day”, this is a movie that always makes me feel better about myself and about life.
This is one of the movies I've most hoped you would someday cover, but I never expected it to be such a special episode that you would have the directors guest star! Amazing!
This is my go to movie when I'm feeling super down and bad about myself. Especially coming from a broken home as well. It reminds me that I'm doing my best and keep on trucking.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god you DO NOT UNDERSTAND how ecstatic I was when I saw this thumbnail in my subscriptions
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is my FAVORITE FILM OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! And Cinema Therapy is one of my favorite UA-cam channels, I watch all your videos!!
Not to mention TALKING WITH THE DIRECTORS OF THE FILM????? It’s so so SO rare to ever get new LMS content these days given the film came out in 2006 and it’s an independent film. I just reread the annotated script when I need to 😂
This collaboration is breaking my brain I can’t believe this is possibly the most exciting thing to happen to me all week as soon as I have a bigger break in my day I am going to be SEATED for this with a big bucket of popcorn blankets and “a la mode” 😁😁🥰🥰🚌🚌
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
I just watched this movie again a couple weeks ago and was thinking about how much I wanted a Cinema Therapy on it. THANK YOU
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Watching Valerie tear up about Alan was so touching. He was such an amazing actor. I miss this movie, it's been so long since I saw it. What a wonderful video.
This film has such a place in my mind and heart. I remember just how much this film impacted people and even just got them talking. It was truly one HELL of a story
I have never watched or even heard of this movie, but now I really want to watch it. Thank you guys for the epic work you're doing. I always get excited when you guys upload a new video, because then I know "Ok, time to learn something new". Loved this video.
We love that. Thanks so much for watching!
One of my favorite aspects of your channel is that it gets me thinking and interested in films that aren't necessarily my "thing". Thank you for broadening my horizons!
One of the best interviews I have ever seen. I don't think I have ever seen an interviewer appreciate a film so much it makes the directors tear up. You guys are just lovely. And so good at what you do.
One of my favourite films, thank you guys for reacting to it ☺