Tag: alan arkin

directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris

I remember when I was watching “The Kominsky Method” and Michael Douglas was joking together with Alan Arkin about death – not even once – and I was thinking “damn, that would be just awful if any of them passed away in real”. And the day has come… Recently, we lost Alan Arkin, a marvellous actor who not only was shining bright in the already mentioned series, but also in many other productions. In order to show my respect, I’d like to dedicate this post to him and recommend you a film that will always make you smile, which I’m sure Mr. Arkin would want. The story starts with a family gathering where we meet all the members – workaholic Sheryl (Toni Collette), her aspiring-to-become-a-coach husband Richard (Greg Kinnear), mysterious and not speaking (by choice) teenage son Dwayne (Paul Dano), adorable daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) who wants to be a beauty queen, grumpy and rather straight-forward grandpa Edwin (Alan Arkin), and Sheryl’s brother Frank (Steve Carell) who has recently attempted suicide. A family like any other, right? Not even being sarcastic here. Anyway, Olive has been qualified for some beauty pageant called “Little Miss Sunshine”, where little girls dress up like single 40s and entertain the audience. Magnificent event! The family, after a difficult discussion, decide to travel together to California and support the girl in making her dream come true. But since each of the family members is quite specific, you may be sure that the trip becomes a real adventure. This film looks like a comedy as there are numerous hilarious moments, lots of sarcasm and jokes that I personally appreciated, but if you think about it, there’s way more drama hidden somewhere there. I believe this is one of the best productions showing family problems and how important it is to support each other even if we really are from different planets. Besides, the cast couldn’t be better – each of the actors did a wonderful job, including little Abigail who’s always been a star – and I’m not talking about her cuteness only. That girl was showing a lot of acting talent despite her very young age. I remember that “Little Miss Sunshine” was also my first film with Paul Dano and ever since then I’ve been his huge fan. This man is incredibly under appreciated by the cinema world, in my opinion. However, in order to put a spotlight on Alan Arkin, I’d like to say that the scenes with Edwin and Olive really warm my heart. Even the actress who played Olive shared a touching post remembering Alan Arkin from that production. In fact, I shed a tear reading her words. She wrote: “Although we were not related in real life, you will alway be “Grandpa” in my heart.” And I bet he will always be our Grandpa in our hearts as well. Watch “Little Miss Sunshine” and remember this great actor. May you rest in peace, Mr. Arkin.

My rating: 9/10
S.