Little Miss Sunshine is a movie that I immediately loved and saw a few times after my initial viewing. However, it’s probably been at least a decade since I rewatched it. With the passing of Alan Arkin, I decided to rewatch the film to admire his hilarious, standout, and sentimental performance. I watched it for his performance but I found a new appreciation for Toni Collette’s performance and character.
I’ve been a fan of Toni Collette since watching Muriel's Wedding long, long ago on TV. She’s an actress that if I see her in a project, I’ll likely watch it because I know she’ll give a captivating performance. Therefore, I have seen many of Toni Collette’s best performances and her character in Little Miss Sunshine didn’t stand out to me when I was younger, especially compared to all the other characters in the film. However, after rewatching it, I saw how vital her character is to the story and what a wonderful mother she is.
Sheryl Hoover deserves more praise, so let’s give it to her.
Warning Little Miss Sunshine spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.
She Helps Keep The Family From Falling Apart
It’s clear that the Little Miss Sunshine family is quite dysfunctional, but that’s kind of the point of the movie. They’re a mess but they love and support each other. Sheryl is the main reason the family is able to function at all. She’s very much keeping things together. I noticed during this viewing a few lines that reveal a lot about the family that you may not notice during the first viewing. For example, Sheryl is the only one in the family working.
She’s not only bringing home the bucket of chicken and making the salad, but she’s also working, likely full-time. Richard (Greg Kinnear) is not bringing in money for the household because he’s putting all his time and attention into his self-help business. Richard not working isn’t the problem, the problem is that the burden to support the family financially is solely on Sheryl at the moment.
Sheryl Acts As The Emotional Backbone For The Family
Not only is Sheryl financially supporting her family, but she’s basically a supermom by being the emotional support for everyone. I don’t think I’m being dramatic by saying she might be one of the best movie moms. She’s only shown as being supportive of all those in her family, including her husband and his dreams.
Sheryl and Frank (Steve Carell) have another sister named Cindy, who we never meet but we know that she’s the reason Olive (Abigail Breslin) is into the pageant world. The mention of Cindy shows that Frank does have another family member to stay with after he almost dies from suicide. However, Sheryl is the one who steps up to offer her brother a place to stay and emotional support.
She gives her family any type of emotional support that they need.
She Keeps Her Cool In Ridiculous Situations
When grandpa aka Edwin (Alan Arkin) dies and Richard decides to try to take his body on the road with them, at first, like everyone else, Sheryl is mortified. However, she’s also the first to go along with the plan, and then she pushes everyone else into action. Sheryl was the last one to join the “Super Freak” dance but she watched gleefully as the rest of the family joined Olive. She was their cheerleader.
Sheryl is often seen smiling and laughing at the ridiculous things done and said by her family members. She is just a joyous person overall, which may be why Olive is also so happy and free. Even when things get tough, Sheryl tries to not freak out or lose her cool too much.
When she finds out that Richard may have lost all of their money, she waits until she’s alone with him to let it all out. Sheryl makes sure to keep her composure in front of her family, but she isn’t afraid to show emotions or get emotional. She lets the others know that grieving is okay when their grandpa dies.
She Fixes Things That Richard Messes Up
Richard may be one of the worst movie dads. He sort of starts to redeem himself by the end of Little Miss Sunshine. However, he’s fairly awful through most of it. One of his most offensive scenes is where he basically tries to guilt-trip Olive for wanting ice cream. Now, the person who steps up the most in this scene is the grandpa for going against what Richard does and says, and even gets the family involved to get Olive to eat her ice cream.
However, Sheryl also deserves some praise for telling Olive she can be fat or skinny and it doesn’t matter. She also often emotionally steps in when Richard causes some damage. She goes against him without being too combative. She shows that strong and tough women characters aren’t just action stars but come in many forms. They can be a supportive mom who repairs any emotional damage another parent may inflict.
Sheryl Has To Put Up With A Lot From Her Family
Richard may be the most difficult person that Sheryl has to deal with in her family, but he isn’t the only one. Dwayne (Paul Dano) has a whole scene where he tells her that he hates her. She doesn’t even flinch. Sheryl knows he’s emotional and anything he says isn’t his true feelings. She has a deep understanding of the people in her life. It’s commendable.
Additionally, Dwayne refuses to speak for nine months. Instead of trying to force him to talk, she accepts it and caters to his decision. Maybe at first she tried to get him to speak, but now she just accepts it. Grandpa is not a completely angry old man but he can be cranky. One of the first scenes in Little Miss Sunshine involves him complaining about eating chicken all the time.
Sheryl has probably had to deal with many, many outbursts from him. She really deals with her own madhouse but she does it in a way that’s non-judgmental, caring, and supportive.
The Character Allows Toni Collette To Give Another Great But Understated Performance
The Little Miss Sunshine cast is full of great actors who give outstanding performances. Alan Arkin even won an Oscar for his performance in the film. Additionally, it’s one of Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, and Steve Carell’s best performances. However, Toni Collette gives a great performance in a quieter way. She isn’t as focal as other characters but she’s a critical character.
As stated, she’s basically the emotional glue that holds this family together. Collette’s character presents herself as the supportive core for this family and she does it so well. She truly feels like a loving matriarch that you would want in your own family.
Little Miss Sunshine is one of the best movies to watch on Max right now, for many reasons, and one of them is Sheryl Hoover and her kind glory. Stream Little Miss Sunshine on Max.
