I’d like to preface this writing by
saying that Little Miss Sunshine is one of my favorite movies. All the way from
the writing, to the filming, to the performances, there is an extreme level of
care and of course, the inevitable family drama that I love to watch and write
about. If you haven’t seen the movie, STOP READING. It is really great, and I
recommend watching it before you read this post because I am going to be
talking about one of my favorite scenes in the movie that gives a major plot
point away.
At this point I’m assuming that
those of you still reading have seen the movie so I won’t go into great detail
explaining what it’s about. So the particular scene that I am referring to is
when Dwayne freaks out because he finds out he is colorblind. I find this scene
brilliant for multiple reasons.
The beginning of the scene sets the
stage perfectly. Dwayne, who has taken a vow of silence until he is allowed to
enlist as a Navy pilot, is in the back of the yellow van, as his sister Olive
amuses herself by giving him an eye exam with a hospital pamphlet. Next to
Olive is her Uncle Frank, and in the front are both parents. The scene starts
out quiet normally, and there is no evidence of any topic of conversation being
very important. After Olive tests Dwayne’s vision, she moves on to a
colorblindness test that Dwayne takes to appease her. She asks him what color
the letter is inside the bubble on the sheet, and Dwayne responds on his little
notepad asking what she is talking about. This is where the greatness of this
scene starts to explode.
Frank, upon
realizing what is happening decides to chime in. He tells Dwayne that because
he can’t see the letter, this means he is colorblind and that people with colorblindness
cannot fly jets. There is a beat and then Dwayne’s fuse is lit. He becomes like
a Mentos trapped in a soda bottle and begins to throw himself against the side
of the van violently. Frank starts yelling for Richard to pull over and both he
and Olive begins to get upset because she has no idea what has just happened.
When Richard finally pulls off the highway, Dwayne bursts out of the car and
runs down the side of the grassy hill. At the bottom, he falls onto his knees
and screams his first words in 9 months “F*******ck!”
That one
word may be one of my favorite lines in a movie just because of how honest it
is. In that one line, the audience is able to hear and feel the anguish and
heartbreak that Dwayne is feeling. Not to mention that way he performs this
scene is so real.
Within a
few moments of screaming, Sheryl tells Dwayne that she knows he is upset, but they
have to go if they are going to make it to the pageant. This causes Dwayne to
go on a rampage about how much he hates his family and how screwed up they are.
After his rant, there is silence. Olive then makes a gesture by walking down
the hill and simply hugging him. The way she does this is so innocent and
purely kind. After a moment, without a word, Dwayne gets up in resolve. He
picks Olive up and carries her up the hill, and the family gets back in the car
and on their way.
This scene
is a true testament of good cinematic writing and great acting. I would
recommend it to anyone (especially if you are like me and enjoy hilarious movies
about dysfunctional families).
