Little Miss Sunshine
The directors of the film “Little Miss Sunshine” satirize aspects of American society by completely humiliating and twisting the basis of many issues within American civilization. Numerous aspects are parodied throughout the film, however the angle in which the theme of personal failure and beauty contests is mimicked is particularly intriguing.
Personal failure is highly satirized in multitudinous ways during the film, and the subject has been accentuated to the extreme. Richard’s nine steps to success completely blocks out failure, and when his program is not sold amid the movie, the scene was developed to express so much irony. Throughout the entire movie, personal failures and achievements are both considered and accentuated using different film techniques.
Camera distance and viewpoints are used when both Richard and Dwayne experience personal failures within the movie. When Richard hears the news from Stan Grossman that his program deal had slumped and was not sold, the camera was very distant from Richard. Showing both him and the nature of the area, this allowed us to see and hear the event from a more external perspective. As Dwayne runs out of the car when he discovers he cannot become a pilot, the camera angle changes from a close up, to a distance shot. This allows for the audience to take in the atmosphere of the situation and shows that during the present moment, Dwayne is all by himself in his position. Close up shots are used when Dwayne falls to his knees and screams, which shows the disappointment and setback he is experiencing. The mood soundtrack changes from a happy, up-beat song, to a very slow and depressing melody when Dwayne realizes he can never fly. In both situations, the satire is extremely blunt and gets straight to the dilemma of personal failure.
Another evident personal failure in the film is when Olive humiliates herself and the entire beauty pageant when