Little Miss Sunshine: Movie Analysis Questions

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Analysis Questions for

Little Miss Sunshine

• What type of irony is present in Richard's philosophy of “winners and losers”? What is this philosophy about? Does his way of thinking change throughout the movie? If so, how? Are the Hoovers winners or losers?
• How do the first scenes of the movie set the tone for the rest of the film? What do they tell us about the movie's main characters? Discuss character development and define tone?

• What kind of woman is Sheryl? How would you describe her as a mother, a wife and a sister? What is her role within the development of the movie? What type of character is she? Explain by using examples from the movie.
• When Frank sees Olive for the first time in the movie, he says she was almost “like a real person.” What do you make of this statement? How does this statement mirror Frank’s character? What type of character is he? Give examples.

• What are the Hoovers like? What is their relationship like? How does it seem to affect the relationship between Dwayne and Sheryl? What type of characters are they? How does characterization help to the development of the movie as a whole? Provide examples from the movie to support your answer.

• At the dinner table, Frank says that he “is pro-honesty here,” but Richard disagrees. Why is Richard against Frank telling Olive the truth? What type of irony is present in this part of the movie? What is Sheryl´s position? What can be learned about these three characters based on this scene? What is your personal opinion about this situation?
• What is symbolic about the mise-en-scene at the dinner table? How do characters develop (with special interest in uncle Frank? What does Olive’s reaction tell us about her character? What kind of child is she?

• How does Richard's 9-step philosophy influence his daughter's mindset throughout the plot and story order of the film? Does she believe in it? What do you think of Richard's 9-step plan?
• Explain what type of character grandpa is. How would you characterize him? Why was he expelled from Sunset Manor? Why does he behave like he does? How does he fit into the context of the movie? Explain by giving examples taken from the movie.

• .Choose one character from the film and discuss its development. Analyze the decisions made by him/her and if you consider there should have been other risks taken/decisions made. Explain.
• As a character, how can you explain the role of the van? What is so significant about its color in terms of archetypes and meaning in the movie? In terms of archetypes, what type of archetype the van is? How important it is for the family and the development of the movie? Was the broken van a curse or a blessing? How did it help or damage the journey? Explain your answer by using examples from the movie.

• How does the motif of dreaming work itself throughout the film? Choose one character and his/her dreams and discuss them in terms of character development and symbolic relevance.
• In terms of the movie´s main plot, what is the main conflict the movie presents? What type of characters the movie has and how they help to the development of the movie´s conflict and its resolution? Is the conflict resolved by the end of the movie? Explain by using examples from the movie

• Little Miss Sunshiine deals with the concepts of society and family as key elements for its development. How does the movie show each one of these two concepts? Are they related? Does the film favor one of them or not? Explain by using examples from the movie to support your answer.
• Discuss the beginning and ending of Little Miss Sunshine in terms of plot story and order. How do these two parts of the film juxtapose?

• There are different symbols and archetypes in the film, is there any of these that mirror the theme of the film? Elaborate. Consider that in Latin, the meaning of the name “Olive” is “symbol of peace.” Is the name symbolic in the movie? Elaborate.
• Dwayne: You know what? Fuck beauty contests. Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... Fuck that. And fuck the Air Force Academy. If I want to fly, I'll find a way to fly. You do what you love, and fuck the rest.

The movie moves around the notion of beauty pageants. How do the Hoovers perceive them? Are they in favor or against beauty pageants? Do their opinion about them change by the end of the movie or not? The concept of beauty pageants can also be applied to other daily situations such as school, college, and work. If so, how? Explain by using examples taken from the movie to back up your answer.

• How does camera work help convey meaning in the scene when Richard discourages Olive from eating ice cream? Why does everybody else eat from Olive's ice cream? What does this tell you about them?
• Explain what kind of character Richard is? How does his characterization differ from the rest of the characters in the movie? Is he, as a character, necessary for the movie´s development? Why does Richard constantly lie to Sheryl about reaching Stanley Grossman? What type of irony is shown here? How does his philosophy apply/not apply to the final outcome of this deal? Explain by using examples from the movie.

• Sheryl: “We've got to let Olive be Olive.” When is this phrase uttered? Does this statement reflect the theme of the film? If so, how? If not, why not? Give specific examples. Do you agree with Sheryl's decision? Why would Dwaye, Frank, and Richard have preferred Olive not to participate in the pageant?
• Refer to the character of Olive? What type of character is she? What is her role within the context of the movie as a whole? How did the Hoovers react to Olive's dream to take part in the beauty pageant? How do they react to her performance at the beauty contest? What does this tell you about their family?

• What may be a possible theme of this film? How was this possible theme presented through camera work, mise-en-scene, and sound?.Elaborate.
• The beauty pageant Olive wants to be part of plays a key role in the development of the movie. Does the movie present it as something positive or negative? How is the Hoovers´s perception of beauty pageants, in general, shown in the movie? Does it change for them by the end of the movie or not? Provide examples from the movie to back up your answer.

• Based on the theory on characterization, discuss the concept of round and flat characters in Little Miss Sunshine. Who are round or flat characters in the movie? How does this notion of characterization help to the development of the movie as a whole? Explain by using examples from the movie to back up your answer.
• Define the term symbol as a figure of speech in the film and discuss the symbolic nature of the mirrors in Little Miss Sunshine. What other symbols in the movie can you think of?

• What is the difference between a symbol and an allegory? Define and explain. As a movie, Little Miss Sunshine may display fewer symbols than other films, which may be the main symbolic element? Elaborate.
• Discuss the concept of symbols and archetypes. Is the title of the movie symbolic? If so, how? If not, why not? What specific archetypes can be found in the film?

• The movie starts with Olive watching a beauty pageant on TV. There, the first thing we see is a close up of Olive eyes and glasses. How does the camera work here helps to convey meaning to the viewer? What is relevant about the més-n- scene of this sequence? Explain by using instances from the movie to back up your answer.
• Discuss grandpa’s character development in the movie Little Miss Sunshine. What is his philosophy of life? How can this philosophy be understood by the audience? Why did he have to die? Does this event alter the plot of the movie? Explain.

• Explain what diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are?Throughout the movie there are several occasions where western music accompanies the characters’ actions. Why is that? What does that mean? What type of sounds are these? Explain with instances from the movie to support your answer.

• .At the beginning of the film, Frank explains who Proust was. He, in fact, is a Proust scholar. What is symbolic about Frank’s interest in Proust? What type of irony is present there? Why does he share Proust’s suffering with his nephew in the dock? How did Dwayne react? Explain by using examples from the movie to support your answer.

• What kind of character is Dwayne? What is his motivation in the film? Through his dialogue, how may he be perceived by the audience? How can the spectators of the film understand his feelings toward his family? Explain.

• Based on the theory of colors, how are colors used in this movie? Refer to specific instances in the movie with the van, clothes and the misé-en-scene. What is symbolic about their usage? Explain by using examples from the movie to support your answer.