A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

The Hoovers are far from perfect, but that’s what gives Little Miss Sunshine such a high level of emotional depth. Personal conflicts, crumbling emotions, and a broken-down van threaten to derail them at every turn. At the center of it all is Olive (played to perfection by Abigail Breslin), whose determination to realize her true self in a world that demands conformity is delightfully refreshing. While she’s not your stereotypical beauty pageant contender, she has her family’s unwavering support — a display of their unconditional love.

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ debut feature premiered to raucous crowds at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Setting aside the oddball humor that cements this film’s place as a cult classic, its main strength lies within its relatable family dynamics. Despite the generational gaps between them, each character carries their own baggage — aspirations, fears, disappointments. The journey is anything but smooth, but we’re all in it together. — AM

Restored by The Walt Disney Studios using a new 4K 16-bit scan of the original negative at Roundabout Entertainment under the supervision of directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

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