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DVD & Blu-ray Reviews

DVD Pick for Monday 22nd January

Little Miss Sunshine is the real word of mouth success of the past year. Since it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival (almost exactly a year ago) it has won audiences and critics over with its charming brand of bittersweet comedy. It follows a dysfunctional family from Albuquerque as they drive to California in order to take their young daughter (Abigail Breslin) to a beauty pageant. A pushy father (Greg Kinnear), a stressed mother (Toni Collete), a depressed Proust scholar (Steve Carell) and a foul mouthed grandpa (Alan Arkin) all form the rich bag of misfits in the film.

First time directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris manage to create a genuinely charming comedy whilst avoiding easy cliches and schmaltz. It also neatly breaks a taboo of US pop culture in that it actually celebrates losers, rather than turning them in to bland success stories. Watch out for it at the BAFTAs and Oscars – it might not be this year’s Crash but it could certainly be a strong dark horse candidate.

> Check out reviews of the film at Metacritic
> Buy the DVD from Amazon