little miss brilliance
that's what this movie should be called.
although i question their choice in greg kinear, he does play a prick of a guy really well.
it's the most messed up family, but it's what ends up being best for the suicidal uncle that comes to live with them.
there's no giant plot where people overcome great odds to cure a dying race of african honey bee.
racial lines aren't blurred but a miraculous turnabout.
two enemies do not learn to love each other.
a little girl makes it from az to ca to be in a beauty pageant.
she's 7.
and only one person in the audience likes her performance.
but the family full of character has fun despite all the crap thrown at their VW mini-bus along the way.
it may be my new favorite movie. i am seriously considering saying goodbye to my long-standing number one shawshank redemption for a grade school beauty pageant.
it even beat out ricky bobby, and i laughed my face off at that movie.
that's saying something.
---
yet at the same time, it stirred up a lot of emotions that aren't necessarily positive.
it reminded me of how messed up my childhood, along with millions others' was/were/is/are.
but mostly it made me miss my brother.
i could see a lot of myself but even a lot more of my brother in dwayne. dwayne loves nietzsche and hates everyone.
he's anti-social, has bursts of anger, and probably thinks he doesn't fit in anywhere he goes.
as i was watching this movie, i kept thinking of what eli was doing at that moment (b/c i knew he was at work. at a job i know he hates.) or what eli thought of that part of the movie (b/c he had already seen it.)
so i guess this is kind of a combination post about how i loved little miss sunshine, but (and i can't believe i'm saying it) but i miss being on second shift with my brother.
it feels very alone at work now.
I guess I am kind of like Dwayne in that I tend to think differently than most people think...but every family has to have a black sheep. I guess I know what my words and actions (being a socialist and making jokes about baby t-rex's) will get me into (being shunned in society or people thinking I am weird) but I don't care because if you can't say what you're thinking, you're not living fully. Or something gay like that. I may not like Nietzche or wear a shirt that says Jesus was wrong. I actually really disagree with that shirt. Also, the whole air force thing...c'mon. But I can see what you mean. And thank you. I miss having you around too, it seems like people treat me a lot worse without you around. But maybe that's because Chris Dunbar had been around a lot lately...
I suppose one always needs their big brother around to stick up for them.
Also, I thought the character that most resembled me was Uncle Frank, you know. Gay, suicidal, and the world's first (and then second)-most prominent Proust scholar.
In closing, Dwayne's personality may have reminded you of me....but he sure looks like Phil Crow.
-Eli
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Anonymous |
September 06, 2006 4:08 AM