Little Miss Sunshine Contest - Essay Example

“Little Miss Sunshine” focuses on the lives of a family called the Hoovers. They are on a road trip to outlying California where their little daughter, Olive plans to participate in a contest named “Little Miss Sunshine Contest”. They face numerous hurdles that compel them to cooperate. Their union in such times is of the essence in their success.
The main aim of examining this film is to bring forth other insights besides comedy. This is through inspection of the themes present in the movie. Generally, they are the two aspects that make this movie exceptional.

Thematic concerns
The film creates insights into the lives of the cast. There are compelling issues in their lives that are worth attention and concern. The themes of winning and losing come out as the major issues in the lives of the characters. Richard Hoover, the father to Olive and the most prominent in this movie is fanatical about his plan to succeed. He labels the plan “Nine Steps to Success”. He believes that it is going to guarantee success in any way provided strict adherence to it is maintained. Consequently, the notion that achievement of success at all costs lingers in his mind. He questions the desires of others to achieve success. This shows up in an expression of judgment towards Frank after he attempted suicide.

Richard has considerable information on what winners do and does not do. For instance, he believes that any feeling of self-doubt or fear is associated with a loser. He also acknowledges that giving up on oneself (as Frank had done) is detrimental and against the core principles of winners. He dismisses luck as a contributing factor towards being a winner. He sees it as a tool used by losers to justify their shortcomings. Richard stresses that one has to want to win and all will be okay. This is evidenced by the talk with his daughter where she expresses her desire to win. He goes ahead to assure her daughter of victory in the dancing competition. According to (Dickmeyer, 22), it is not the mere impression of what success is but the energy put towards success.

The other family members have differentiated views on winning. They particularly do not like the way Richard handles the talk with his seven-year-old daughter. They believe that Richard is more into beliefs than hard reality. Beliefs relating to success cannot solely guarantee one to be a winner. (Dickmeyer, 18) They concede that success is not as simple as the way Richard views it. They believe that the infliction of those “mere winner beliefs” and attitudes can result in severe frustration and downheartedness for their daughter if all is not well in the competition.

Family efforts help Olive to deal with her failure to win the contest. Upon realizing that life is full of unpredictable situations, she becomes equipped to deal with frustrations and failures. The family contribution serves, largely, in helping the young girl deal with the situation. By taking to the stage at the end of the show, family cohesion is on display. They ultimately show that they have triumphed even when the situation does not exactly mean the same.

The component of losing at the initial stages and then winning in the long last arises from Dwayne. Dwayne is Richards’s son. Richard expresses pleasure with his son for his unshaken focus on gaining entry to a flight school and becoming a pilot. According to Richard, Dwayne fulfills some provisions of his “success program”. Success and winning are definitely on Dwayne’s way as per the father. Later on, Dwayne realizes that he cannot become a pilot. Therefore, he becomes subject to emotional distress. He finally puts himself together and gets back on track with the wholesome effort of his family. In this case, the family effort and individual assessment are a thing to note. (Winnicott, 26) asserts that it is extremely essential for a family to know the point to intervene in their children's lives. Early intervention on absconding from a winning path is very beneficial in the ultimate success. (Dickmeyer, 37)

Frank gathers momentum and leaps towards winning. He gradually develops a winning attitude through tangible efforts. The efforts include involvement in the Hoovers’ family activities. He changes from an emotional state of depression to a state of adrenaline. His achievement of success is more of a personal effort rather than belief about the entails of winning. It is a personal initiative to move from a loser mentality to a winner mentality. (Dickmeyer, 39)

Conclusion
This movie shows the family importance in one’s life. Secondly, it shows the practical nature associated with winning and losing. From it, the viewers know that it is not the sole idolization of what one view as winning that matters. It is rather the follow-up of it that decides the outcome. Read More