Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine is directed by Valerie Faris and her husband Jonathan Dayton.

Plot: The main character, Olive, is going to participate in beauty contest. Her father (Richard), mother (Sheryl), brother (Dwayne), uncle (Frank) and grandfather (Edwin) are all going to the beauty contest in California with her. They drive a van along the highway. During the long journey, something happens…

Father: Richard gets bad News from his boss. His nice steps of how to become a winner is not used by his boss because few people believe that. He hates losers and people should never give up in order to become a winner!!Thus, that is a shocking News to him!!

 Brother: When Dwayne knows that he is actually colorblind, he is very upset. He has not talked for NINE MONTHS becausehe wants his parents to allow him to go to flight school. He starts to talk again after he realizes that his dream would never come true.

Grandfather: Edwin is a drug user. He died after the day the family stayed in a motel.

*Olive has practiced very hard for the beauty contest, did she win?

No, her sexy dancing drove Judges crazy!!They want Olive to get out of here!!Her family supports her and they all go dancing with her!!Though Olive is not allowed to join this contest anymore, she enjoyed the moment dancing with her family. She dedicated the performance to her grandfather since he taught her how to dance.

*How do you define a loser and a winner?

I think if you are always afraid of doing something new and never want to try, then you are a loser. A winner is someone who never gives up and he/she doesn’t care about the results. They enjoy the process!!

*Is Olive a loser?

No, she is definitely not a loser. She is willing to try and continue her performance. She does not care whether she will fail or win. Also, she helps her family members’ relationships become better. During the trip, her father and mother quarreled a lot. Her brother is devastated about the truth that he cannot be a pilot. Uncle Frank is a gay. He felt very sad when he saw his ex with another guy.The saddest thing for the whole family members is grandfather’s death. Olive has a power to cheer them up and they all seem to forget all the sorrow in the end!!I would say she is a winner for her courage and warmth!!

*Richard told Olive that skinny is the beauty standard, do you agree?

I don’t think males have any right to tell females what beauty is.They always judge what girls’ figure should look like. Beauty really depends on the eyes of the beholders!!I don’t think girls should go on a diet by eating very little food. That is very unhealthy!!You might have anorexia later on. No matter what your body looks like, there is always someone who will love you.

 

So guys, what is your definition of a loser and a winner? Do you agree that skinny is a beauty standard?

Riding in Car with Boys 2001

‘’Riding in cars with Boys’’ is directed by Penny Marshall and is talking about an important issue in America in the 60s and 70s- teenagers got pregnant.

Film title: This film is the main character, Beverly’s biography and the film title is the same as her book, which is mainly about her life. The fifth words of the title, boys, means that Beverly has to deal with many males-her father, husband (Ray) and her son (Jason).

Story: Beverly slept with Ray and got pregnant. She then married Ray and gave birth to a boy, Jason! She had to study while taking care of her son.

Do you think Beverly has already got ready to be a young mother? No, she still had her dream which is to study in university and she didn’t want to give up!!Also, she didn’t even change Jason’s diaper and kept saying that Jason annoyed her.

Quote from Beverly in the film:’’One day can change your life. One day can ruin your life. All life is four or five big days that change everything.’’Do you agree with that?

I agree with her. The day she met Ray changed her whole life. If she hadn’t slept with Ray, she could have studied in university and probably be a famous writer. (Because she is very smart!!)In our life, there are things that you didn’t mean to do or say, yet there is no way to restore them as saying sorry is useless. Sometimes you will have to accept your destiny and move on. When you look back, you might laugh at what you’ve done before!!

Beverly said’ ‘I didn’t have a boy. I had a girl.’’ Does this affect her love for Jason? She felt disappointed when she found out she had a boy. That’s because her best friend, Fay, got pregnant also and she wanted their children to be girls and grow up just like them, like good sisters!!Beverly didn’t really know whether she loves Jason or she has to love him. I think she did love Jason, no matter how his birth ruined her dream that is, studying in university. She was not sure about her love for Jason for she loved him too much that she couldn’t actually feel her maternal love!!

Do you consider Beverly a good mother? I don’t think she is a good mother. She left Jason on the seesaw and went to talk with Fay. (She thinks Fay has more important thing to tell her!!)Another time, she asked Jason to leave her alone because she had to talk to Fay!!Unfortunately, Jason was drowned in the pool. Beverly was not attentive and responsible.

Does Beverly make a good decision to ask Ray to stay away? Yes, Ray was addicted to smoking and drinking. If he lived with Beverly and Jason, he would only squander all the money for buying heroin. Jason loved her dad very much and hated Beverly’s decision to force Ray to leave. I think it’s the best solution because you can’t let your child grow up to be a drug user, right?

Jason said ‘‘Everything always happens to her, no one else.’’Do you think Beverly is selfish? In the beginning, Beverly is selfish for she has planed the life for Jason as his birthday gift!!That was unfair to him!!Why can’t he decide what he will do for himself? At the end, Beverly changed since she let Jason transfer to the university he wanted! She set Jason free and he no longer had to be forced to follow Beverly’s dream!!