Little Miss Sunshine is a film that I could watch over and over and never get bored. This film manages to do something that truly amazes me, it balances comedy and tragedy and comedy perfectly in such a way that depending on what day you watch it certain scenes will either have you in stitches or crying your eyes out.

A lot of this comes down to the performances, Carell, Kinnear and Collette are no stranger to comedy and get to show off their improve skills and comedic timing throughout however they take a more relaxed and nuanced approx so that the real heart of each scene is never lost.

This film also throws in a rather profound message about identity and self worth that a viewer may not see being set up on first viewing. Some moments have the capacity to hit you like a brick if you let them and can stick in your mind for days after.

The scene where Dwayne Discoverers that he is colour-blind is one of my favourite moments in cinema. Paul Dano’s completely unhinged performance matched with some great camera work are a big part of why this film has stuck with me for so long. This scene is a perfect example of how this film can have you laughing through your tears as the absurd nature of the moment never fully undercuts the raw emotion that the character is feeling.

Really this film is about laughing through your tears. Little Miss Sunshine tells us that it is okay to fail, it is okay not to be happy and it is okay not to fit the mould that society wants you too. It sets up what at first seem to be fairly generic character types and then exposes them to be complete three dimensional people. Much like how the film may appear to be a basic road trip comedy but is so much more.