Warm movie for a winter’s day

The film we are showing on Wednesday, February 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the Senior Activity Center is “Little Miss Sunshine,” a  family film with enough heart to warm our souls on these cold winter days and enough comedy to keep us laughing until spring.

The story is about a young girl, Olive, played by actress Abigail Breslin, an ugly ducking, who wants to enter the “Little Miss Sunshine” pageant.

Her wildly eccentric family is beautifully played by great actors, giving this film a four-star rating. Her father, Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear), is a failed motivational speaker who is anxiously trying to find backing for his book so his house doesn’t get foreclosed.

Alan Arkin plays Grandpa, who has been asked to leave his nursing home for heroin abuse and now lives with the Hoover family. He teaches Olive a totally inappropriate dance she can use for the talent portion of the pageant. He also rehearses it with her; you can see the scene on YouTube.

Steve Carell plays Uncle Frank, a retired Proust professor who failed in his suicide attempt so he cannot be left alone. They all go on a road trip to the pageant in a beat-up, barely running VW van.

Toni Collette plays the mom who tries to hold this odd family together and is slowly losing her mind as one thing after another goes wrong. She is the only almost-normal one. Her son, Dwayne, played by Paul Dano, has taken a vow of silence. It turns out he is really just trying to keep his sanity. Fat chance with the Hoover family.

Even if it snows, this film is not to be missed. We will have our soft chairs, free snacks and a warmly-heated room along with the sweet company of Mimi, Maggie and me. Join us.

Running time: 101 minutes