Oscar pundits who’ve been viewing the race for Best Picture as a battle among The Departed, Dreamgirls, and Babel got a new angle to consider this weekend when the Producers Guild of America handed its top prize the family road-trip comedy Little Miss Sunshine (starring Abigail Brelin, pictured). Notably, with its $8 million budget, Sunshine is the least expensive PGA winner ever, according to Variety; yet as Movie City News points out, it’s also the second-lowest-grossing winner in the group’s history (behind only Moulin Rouge).
The PGA trophy certainly gives Sunshine added Oscar clout — 11 of 17 PGA best picture winners have gone on to nab the Academy Award — but it hasn’t been an accurate predictor the last two years. In 2005 and 2006, PGA honored The Aviator and Brokeback Mountain respectively, while the Oscars went to Million Dollar Baby and Crash.
Nonetheless, I’ve got to ask you, PopWatchers: Would a Best Picture Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine delight you or leave you scratching your head? While it usually peeves me that comedies don’t get the awards-season respect that they’re entitled to, I can’t bring myself to hop aboard the yellow minibus on this one. I mean, Sunshine has some cute moments, but best picture? Seriously? What think you?
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A nomination for LMS? Yes, totally!! A win? That’s hard to call at this time.
Little Miss Sunshine for Best Picture? Get me on that VW Bandwagon! This movie made me cry, laugh, feel for all of the characters and also be extremely afraid for Olive’s sweet innocence. This story was real and affecting. I would love to see it win, but I have a feeling that the Departed will pull away with this one.
Nomination, yes. Win? I’d say “Pursuit of Happiness” or “Last King of Scotland”.
Little Miss Sunshine over the Departed? NO.
Much as I’d love to see film comedies get more Oscar love, Little Miss Sunshine isn’t the best starting point. I thought it was overrated, and the performances outshone the story. But if Fox Searchlight goes all Miramax with it, anything could happen.
yeah for the win!!
I think it deserves to be nominated but The Queen should win.
i liked it and all but it better not win over the departed!
I’ve been hearing so much about this movie and how great it is; I’ll wait to see if it wins the Otsker.
The only thing that would cause me to see it sooner is Greg Kinnear! For all you straight guys and your M.I.L.F acronym Greg is definitly a D.I.L.F!
I think the fact that this movie is generating so much hype says something about the state of movies in general. Basically, “Sunshine” is a decent movie with great music, some funny moments, and likeable actors. For my money, it’s what we should expect out of an average movie, not something we should hold up as the peak of the form. And, P.S., I liked it, so I’m really not trying to put it down.
LMS is full of good performances, but that’s about it. It’s an ok movie, but definately NOT Oscar worthy. In a year that has given us CHILDREN OF MEN, PAN’S LABYRINTH, THE PAINTED VEIL, & THANK YOU FOR SMOKING…I would rather see one of those underdogs sneek in and be nominated with the usual suspects (THE DEPARTED, DREAMGIRLS, THE QUEEN, etc. etc.).
I am happy to see that others in this post realize that LMS is little more than an above average comedy.
The cinematic equivalent of The Dave Matthews Band in my opinion. It makes the average person feel like they are into something indy and unique when in reality its just the same overrated mainstream product produced by everyone else.
It’s a tough call. I think there are better films that deserve the nod, but I won’t be disappointed if Sunshine gets one. For all the talk of this film being overrated, how about Dreamgirls? Sure, it’s fun and fast-paced. But Oscar-worthy? Seriously? Performances, yes. Not the movie as a whole.
I would love to see LMS win. Especially over The Departed which is a remake of a chinese movie called Infernal Affairs which came out like 2 years ago. As a matter of fact I would be happy with any movie, but The Departed winning best picture.
Little Miss Sunshine as the best picture? Perhaps. Little Miss Sunshine as the best comedy of the year? Obviously. This film does what all other comedies should strive to do: It gets better throughout the movie, right up until the end. So many comedies start out strong and then lose steam and focus by the end (Wedding Crashers, Stripes, etc.). But Little Miss Sunshine begins as a good movie and ends as a great movie. It relies on one joke (Olive’s “moves”) throughout the film and yet the joke never gets old. If only all comedies were able to follow this successful formula, perhaps more films from the genre might find themselves in a serious Oscar race the way Little Miss Sunshine now is.
While “Little Miss Sunshine” is a great comedy and pretty good movie in general, it’s competition for best picture is very strong and generally more welcomed by everybody (not everyone gets the comedy of “Sunshine”).
Entertaining? Yes. Oscar worthy? No.
I loved “Babel” and “The Departed” but my favorite film of the year was definitely “Little Miss Sunshine”! How about “Dreamgirls”? It’s such an average movie!
No, I would say not. I liked it, but I wouldn’t say it was the best picture of the year (or even in the top 5).
A cute movie, but no way should it win Best Picture.
I don’t understand the hatred for Dreamgirls. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in a theater and the film gets a standing ovation.
The equivalent of The Dave Mathews Band..he he. That’s funny, CBC!
It is soooooo NOT the best picture of the year. Some might argue that it’s not even a decent film.
If they would depart from the usual fare, I nominate Casino Royale!
Little Miss Sunshine IS the best picture of the year. It’s one of the very few movies that made me stand up and cheer. If American Beauty and Ordinary People can win best picture oscars, so can Little Miss Sunshine. It is a GREAT, Great movie. Scorcese can get best director, hudson and murphy can get supporting nods for Dreamgirls, but the best picture of the year is Little Miss Sunshine.
I would like to see it win, but just because this years race is so effing boring. I mean, c’mon. Nothing to root for, nothing to root against…
I hope the nominations have some sweet surprises.
Here’s the thing. I liekd Little Miss Sunshine. I’m okay with giving it a best picture nom. I believe films like Little Miss Sunshine should have a shot. Last Year 40 Year Old Virgin should have had a shot, it was without a doubt one of the 5 best films of the year. But I’ve seen Babel, I’ve Seen the Departed, I’ve seen Pursuit of Happyness. LMS was cute, but not even close to being the movie those others were. If LMS wins, Rocky Balboa was robbed.
I saw LMS the other night and while it’s cute…I didn’t get the ‘point’ and have been asking people. The family was just another family, I didn’t feel anything for them. The last scene at the pagent was really fun and Breslin is a cutey. But “best”? I don’t think so. It didn’t do anything ‘breakthrough’. If the Academy noms and it wins for BP, the Oscars will have become irrelevant if they already haven’t.
Boxo rules!
I agree with Joshua – POH was much better than LMS. Much better. Heartbreaking.
What in the world is going on with the Popwatch boards today?
Does anyone else see an unmargined grey background and ads that don’t seem to be anchored to the page properly?
Is it because its a comedy — it can’t be taken seriously? It’s moving, it’s heartbreaking, it’s filled with great performances, its funny. Long before nominations came out, I have felt that this is as good as they come and Little Miss sunshine is the best movie of the year. Can you really be excited about any of the other nominees?