Happy 20th anniversary to ‘Little Miss Sunshine’

Remember, there are two kinds of people in this world: winners and losers. Inside each and every one of you, at the very core of your being, is a winner waiting to be awakened and unleashed upon the world.

Happy 20th anniversary to Little Miss Sunshine, an indie darling that became one of the decade’s most beloved and critically acclaimed films.

After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it was released on a limited basis on July 26, 2006, and was available nationally the following month. Little Miss Sunshine earned four Academy Award nominations, won two Oscars, and was named to The New York Times’ 2025 list of The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century.

The success seems like an underdog story. 

There are so many ways Little Miss Sunshine could have failed if it didn’t strike the right tone. Think about it. This R-rated comedy, which centers on a dysfunctional family, includes a suicide attempt, a dead body, an overdose, an unlikable father, and a surly teen who has taken a vow of silence. The highlight is a seven-year-old girl performing an age-inappropriate dance routine.

It’s a testament to the screenplay, directing, and acting that we fell in love with Little Miss Sunshine. 

In hindsight, Little Miss Sunshine had a loaded cast. At the time, the biggest stars were Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear, and Steve Carell, who was fresh off The 40-Year-Old Virgin and the first season of The Office. They were not major box-office draws. One of the most famous people in Little Miss Sunshine had one of the smallest roles: Bryan Cranston as Stan Grossman. But the film did help boost the careers of Toni Collette and Paul Dano. Strangely enough, the breakout star Abigail Breslin, one of the youngest actors ever nominated for an Oscar at 10 years old, has not had the kind of career most expected.

More on Breslin later.

The magic of Little Miss Sunshine lies in how a family of lovable misfits comes together toward a common goal. That theme is embodied by the iconic 1978 Volkswagen van they all have to push to get it running. Teamwork makes the dream work, and the dream in this road-trip flick is to get Olive (Breslin) from their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the children’s beauty pageant in Redondo Beach, California.

That’s an 800-mile drive, and along the way, we learn more about the problems the family is working through. The person with the darkest issue is Frank (Carell), who is suicidal after a breakup. According to IMDb, Bill Murray and Robin Williams were the original choices to play Frank. While they probably would have been fine, their sheer star power might have been a little much. Carell’s portrayal is believable, especially when he unexpectedly runs into his ex at a gas station. The sadness on his face is heartbreaking.

The most endearing character of them all is Arkin’s Edwin. He is a politically incorrect, heroin-addicted grandfather who says whatever comes to mind, yet he is also undeniably charming. He gives pep talks to Olive and Kinnear’s Richard, which are among the most moving scenes. It’s easy to see why Arkin won Best Supporting Actor for the role. 

Of all the great moments in Little Miss Sunshine, the one that made everyone stand up and cheer was Olive dancing at the beauty pageant to Rick James’s classic Super Freak. It’s one of the greatest needle drops of all time. All the subtle hints about Olive’s routine suddenly make sense. Breslin, of course, is completely oblivious to the context and is simply an innocent child joyfully dancing. But the crowd and pageant officials are totally shocked.

What makes that scene so memorable is not only Breslin’s performance but also the way her father comes through for her by jumping on stage to dance with her. We spend most of the film hating Kinnear’s Richard because he is annoying and seemingly clueless. However, in his daughter’s moment of need, he is supportive in a way we would all want. Suddenly, we’re forced to reevaluate our feelings for Richard. It’s a character arc nobody expects.

Little Miss Sunshine, made on a modest budget of $8 million, grossed over $100 million worldwide. It earned Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Arkin), Best Supporting Actress (Breslin), and Best Original Screenplay (Michael Arndt). Curiously, directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were not nominated. In February 2007, Arkin and Arndt took home Oscars.

The feel-good flick also helped turn Collette and Dano into household names, and they have continued to be successful. Strangely, Breslin has yet to recapture the magic. Her most notable role since then was in Zombieland (2009) and its 2019 sequel, but that’s about it. Breslin, now 30, has had some difficulties, and that certainly could have adversely affected her career. 

In January 2026, the cast of Little Miss Sunshine reunited at the Sundance Film Festival for the 20th anniversary. At the reunion, producer David T. Friendly said, “It was particularly hard to get this movie made. Pretty much every studio and every specialty division of the first go-around passed. I have all the letters to prove that.”

Little Miss Sunshine endures because it made all of us feel like winners.