Little Miss Sunshine

Let me begin by saying if you did not like Little Miss Sunshine, in the words of my good friend Lee, "you didn't get it did you". Ok ok, so maybe you did get it and still didn't like it. Fine. But too often in Christian circles we judge films by shallow, moralistic, criteria. Many Christians believe good films have little to no vulgar language, no sex or violence, and a straight forward, preachy, message that is usually moralistic . Little attention is given to the art of film making, or the intricate interweaving of images, music, and dialogue. Recently, I showed clips from two films to students in the Engaging Culture course I teach. The first was from the film Time Changer - a so called Christian film, made by a Christian director, and distributed by a Christian film company. This film was moralistic, preachy, and the acting was horrible. (Not to mention a plot that was contrived and laughable.) The second was Pulp Fiction, a Quentin Tarantino film that focuses on thug hit men and the underbelly crime world of Los Angeles. The question I left students to ponder over spring break: Which of these films is a "good" film? My answer? Pulp Fiction - hands down. Which of these films is a Christian film? Pulp Fiction...without a doubt.

The first time I saw Little Miss Sunshine I left the theater moved by the gospel and stirred by the Spirit. As far as I am concerned, there are few better cinematic presentations of the gospel. It begins with brokenness; a family made up of people who by the standards of American culture are all losers. A suicidal homosexual, a drug snorting grandpa, a divorced mother, a desperate and bankrupt father, a depressed and nihilistic son, and a slightly overweight young daughter who wears the disproportionately large round glasses of a grandmother. They are all brought together around Olive, the daughter, who by default ends up in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. The story focuses on their road trip to California, in an old, unreliable, Volkswagen van, trying to get Olive to the pageant on time.

At first glance there doesn't appear to be much that sets the film apart from other cheap laugh road trip films. But two important keys unlock the film: the Sufjan Stevens song playing as they begin their trip, and a discussion Olive has with her suicidal homosexual uncle. The Sufjan Stevens song is "Chicago", from the Come on Feel the Illinoise album. The film only includes the instrumentation, but listen to the lyrics and one discovers the song conveys a redemptive theme. The chorus begins with this refrain: "You came to save us....all things go, all things go. To recreate us...all things go, all things go." Eventually, the somber admission "I've made a lot of mistakes" gives way to a wonderful proclaimation of new creation. In this context we encounter the discussion between Olive and her uncle concerning the existence of heaven. Olive tells him that she believes there is a heaven, to which her uncle asks if he will get in. "Yes" Olive emphatically replies...too which her uncle, who has been depressed and suicidal, can only smile.

The Roman Catholic tradition has historically understood redemption as a pilgrimage, with the vehicle for this journey being the church. We come to her broken and battered, and are led through the wilderness of this world by her instruction as we encounter the crucified and risen Christ. Lately, the church has taken quite a beating, and most of the time, it is well deserved. The church is not perfect...and this is why the Volkswagen van in Little Miss Sunshine is a perfect symbol for her. It is old, battered, first gear doesn't work, and the horn keeps going off. But it is in this van, gathered around a child, the characters are transformed.

Throughout the film Olive provides a beautiful picture of incarnation. The most powerful example being her descent into Dwayne's (her brother) despair, and her silent solidarity with him in suffering. As the film ends, Olive is the one around whom the family rallies, hand in hand joyfully dancing. Every time I see these final scenes, I am reminded of Jeremiah's proclamation to the people of Israel, living with the despair of exile:

Yes, God's Message: 'You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, "A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here." But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, "Thank God-of-the-Angel-Armies. He's so good! His love never quits," as they bring thank offerings into God's Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, God, say so. . (Jeremiah 33:10-11 from the Message)

Amen.