Little Miss Sunshine: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script)

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

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

Customer Reviews:

Delightful

By Ruth Bell "Unexpected" - March 30, 2007

This is a delightful script. The shared goal of all the characters provides the reader with a warmth and investment in the characters individual journeys. It's so funny and touching. I also appreciated the scripts editing process that Arndt provides for us at the end of the screenplay. It is a valuable learning tool for those who are interested in writing screenplays.

A fun, educational read

By K. Wade "In2deep" - October 4, 2008

Little Miss Sunshine is one of very few movies that literally left me with my mouth hanging open as I left the theater, exclaiming about how well written and produced it was. Then I attended a screenwritnig lecture by Michael Arndt, and later had the opportunity to attend a screening of the movie where he answered questions. Fascinating guy who really understands his craft.

The Shooting Script is a great read, and Michael lets us peak behind the script at sections that were changed in the actual shooting, and several times comments on how wise the directors were when they cut out scenes that are in the script. He also reveals places where ad libs added to the spontaneity of the finished product. The book is fun to read, not just because it's a great script, but because you'll learn about the craft of screenwriting.

Fascinating tale of dreams

By Ana Barlow - October 24, 2011

Little Miss Sunshine is a story about dreams. Not about achieving them, but about failing at them.

Not only does each character have his or her own personal (seemingly unattainable) dream, the delightfully droll decrepit 1960's yellow VW Bus that carries them to the land of milk and honey (Ventura, California) is in itself a metaphor for the channel to attain one's highest ambitions.

The most captivating aspect of the story is that nearly all the characters (arguably all of them) do not achieve their dreams, but rather "crash and burn" as the saying goes. Consider "Olive" for example - the lead role played by Abigail Breslin (Signs, My Sister's Keeper). Olive dreams to win the national "Little Miss Sunshine" beauty contest. I take heed to reserve excessive commentary in respect for spoiling the ending, but the surprise finale is a perfect summation of the moral of the story: One does not always have to reach the ending point of the dream in order to learn... read more