little miss sunshine movie review

little miss sunshine movie review Free Online Research Papers Little Miss Sunshine delights audiences with its almost unbelievable eccentricity, and still manages to earn a nod of empathy with its heartfelt situations. This balanced mixture of pathos and humor helps to transform the Hoover family’s chaotic voyage from New Mexico to California into a captivating story. Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have produced an exceptional film. This dramatic comedy, filmed in Arizona and Southern California, and made for a mere three million dollars, proves that an amazing movie that both looks and sounds great (without special effects) can be made on a budget. While the predicable tale of a dysfunctional family has never been overly surprising, the absurd mishaps of the Hoover family make the story exceptionable. Little Miss Sunshine follows the path of a family struggling to remain together, while driving 800 miles (in their yellow VW bus) from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach – to the â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine† beauty pageant (the namesake of the movie.) The voyage, rocky and unpredictable, causes tension among all of the family members. Despite minor disputes, whenever the entire family becomes affected by unfavorable conditions, they bind together to push the journey forward, without question. Their quest represents both a r oad-trip to California, and the personal quests of self-discovery among each of the family members. The first character to be introduced is Olive (Abigail Breslin). Cute, and slightly rotund, like her name, Olive focuses on her dream of becoming the next â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine.† Her undeniable innocence causes distress among viewers, because of her willingness to partake in a shallow pageant that contradicts her character. Coach to Olive for the â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine† pageant is her grandfather, played by Alan Arkin. Despite his protectiveness of Olive, he more often portrayed as an ornery heroin addict, who was kicked out of his convalescent home and forced to live with his son’s family. His son, the annoyingly stubborn Richard (Greg Kinnear), spends his time promoting his (perpetually unsuccessful) â€Å"Nine Steps† to becoming a winner. His ideals circulate around this declaration: â€Å"There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers.† To Richard, his stepson, nonconformist Dwayne (Paul Dano) exemplifies a follo wer of the â€Å"Nine Steps,† through his determination in maintaining a vow of silence until his goal is reached. However, the expressions of angst-ridden, mute Dwayne reveal his resentment toward this idea. Mother to Olive and Dwayne, is Sheryl (Toni Collette), the supporter of the family, financially and emotionally. Sheryl acts as the glue to sustain what minimal stability the Hoover’s have. Her maternal instincts even affect her outcast brother, Frank (Steve Carell). After a failed attempt at suicide, Frank is compelled to live with the Hoover family and even travel with them to California. Though depressed, Frank’s sarcasm, combined with his intellect (as a former professor), add wry humor to the plot. Each character in Little Miss Sunshine is extremely different to the next, and each follows his or her own journey of development. Olive learns to become comfortable in her own skin, the Grandpa continues to act as he wants, Richard accepts the possibility of imperfections, Dwayne accepts the idea to â€Å"do what you love,† but with love, Sheryl finds happiness by bringing the family together, and Frank accepts and appreciates his life. While each character does progress, this maturity only occurs with the assistance of the clashing, chaotic family members. This heartfelt, emotional, problematic, and simply amazing story of family values, dealing with people, expectations, love, and hate, and everything in between achieves the task of filling the soul with sadness, laughter, and joy. Research Papers on little miss sunshine movie reviewWhere Wild and West MeetThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationMind TravelThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Hockey GameThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

7 Interview Secrets for Introverts

7 Interview Secrets for Introverts Raise your hand if you’ve gone to an interview, and been so nervous about the whole thing that afterward, you couldn’t remember half of what happened. (Raises hand.) Now raise your hand if that’s happened multiple times, because anxiety. (Hand still raised.) Interviewing can be really tough if you’re not a natural extrovert. Meeting new people, having to be â€Å"on† at all times, trying to negotiate the interaction†¦it can be exhausting. And more importantly, it can undermine your job search, even when you know you’re qualified, and have an A+ resume. Nerves or pauses can come off as seeming unprepared, which is the last thing you want.The way to get around this, and seem like you put yourself out there all the time, no big deal, is to develop coping mechanisms that will have you schmoozing like someone who does it all the time. That being said, here are 7 interview secrets for introverts.1. Chill- it’s just a conversation.It can be very daunting to walk into an interview. It’s just so formal. The handshake, the eye contact, all of it. Instead, remember that this is literally a conversation between two (or more) people, at heart. You already have an â€Å"in,† so it’s not like you have to start from scratch with conversation topics. Always remember that even though the stakes are higher than your average chat over coffee, you’re talking to regular people, not CIA interrogators.2. Show off those listening skills.One of the best social skills that many introverts have is the ability to listen carefully and zero in on the heart of the issue- one of the most beneficial skills to bring into an interview. Even if you’re used to being the one who hangs back in conversation, that’s something you can use to your advantage in a job interview. A customized answer to a complicated question can give you an edge of someone who’s in extrovert interview mode, and working fro m a set of personal talking points.3. Bring notes.Personally, one of my biggest interview challenges is feeling like I’m rambling or forgetting crucial information in the moment. Notes can help with that. Unless the interview is bizarrely like the SATs, where notes and calculators are not allowed, it’s not likely any interviewer would object to you having a notebook in front of you. That way, if you start to feel nervous or like you’re having trouble thinking on your feet, you have your prep notes right there for reference. However, be careful not to lean on these too much- you want to maintain the eye contact and conversational flow.4. Anticipate small talk.It’s going to happen. After the initial offer of water or coffee, there will always be some small talk. If that’s not your strong suit, think of a few topics ahead of time: the weather (clichà © but it works), the commute, that awesome painting in the lobby. Honestly, this will be the easiest part of the interview, so it’s not worth stressing about whether you’ll have anything in common with the interviewer.Be prepared to have a few casual minutes of talking about things that aren’t directly related to the job at hand. Also be prepared to think on your feet. For example, if you’re in someone’s office and see a Yankees cap, it’s a good chance to comment on their World Series chances this year.5. Realize you’re there to brag.If you struggle with being the center of attention, find ways to couch your accomplishments as part of your current company’s growth/positive outcomes, or focus on things you’ve been praised for in the past. It can be easier to illustrate your awesomeness than to come out and say, â€Å"I’m awesome.† It’s also good to focus on things that make you genuinely excited about your job- if you light up when you talk about something, that’s an easy win and engages the i nterviewer.6. Practice, practice, practice.Know the job description cold. Know ahead of time what questions you have about the job or company. Know what you want to to emphasize in your own history and experience. Then, once you have those in mind, practice answering questions about all of them. The more familiar you are with the lines of the conversation ahead of time, the easier it will be to deal with them when you’re in an unfamiliar space with unfamiliar faces.7. Use the thank you email to your advantage.If you did fumble something or let nerves get the better of you in part of the interview, the follow-up note can help you clarify a bungled point. If you’re better in writing than chatting in person, a coherent and charming thank you note can help shore up the final impression.The job interview as we know it is not suited super-well to those of us with introvert tendencies- but that doesn’t mean you have to accept that. You don’t need to become a soc ial butterfly overnight, but having a set of strategies in you pocket can really help you compete with people who take to the format much more naturally.