Let’s Support Each Other – Lessons from Little Miss Sunshine

September 29, 2022 0 Comments

I recently rewatched one of my favorite movies. little miss sunshine (2006). If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a hilarious and heartwarming story that captures the wacky and wonderful essence of the family, in all its dysfunctional glory.

The youngest member of the family, eight-year-old Olive, has a dream: to enter the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. But Olive doesn’t quite do it appearance as the stereotypical beauty pageant contestant. And, as we eventually found out, Olive certainly doesn’t dance like your average beauty pageant contestant, either. Her grandfather, who smells of cocaine, choreographs her dance routine and it’s… pretty special.

Unfortunately, Olive’s grandfather dies (of a cocaine overdose) on the way to the pageant (and is wrapped in a sheet in the back of the family VW bus), so Olive dedicates her final performance to her grandfather…and decides to give her everything on stage.

But she almost doesn’t, because at first, her team of followers tries to stop her. They want to protect her from being ridiculed. At this point in the contest, the rest of the family (Olive’s suicidal uncle, played by Steve Carrel; her distraught teenage brother who hasn’t spoken in months, played by Paul Dano; and her growth-obsessed father, played by Greg Kinnear) have realized that Olive does NOT fit into the pageant scene and is going to make a fool of herself. So, as gently as possible, they try to talk her out of performing her dance number at the talent show.

But Olive’s stressed but supportive mother (played by Toni Collette) explains why they need to let Olive dance, even if they laugh at her.

“Olive wants do this,” Mom explains. “She loves who she is. She loves to dance and has worked very hard to prepare for this contest, so us I need to let her do this.”

And so, Olive performs her outrageously funny and completely inappropriate dance routine (to the Rick James song “Super Freak”). Her family was right to be concerned: the pageant organizers and the contestants’ families are shocked, then mortified, then outraged.

However, little Olive keeps dancing, determined to finish what she started.

When the furious pageant organizer tries to get Olive’s father to interrupt their performance, there is a pivotal moment where Dad is about to get Olive to enter. Stop dancing, but then changes his mind and instead jumps on stage and dances WITH her! The other members of the family quickly join in, much to the chagrin of the pageant organizers, but to Olive’s utter delight. She is excited to be dancing with her family in the parade of her dreams.

It’s a powerful moment because it says a lot about the importance of having a strong support network in our lives. Who has wear back in life? Who is supporting our dreams and other endeavors, whether big, small, or not the norm? Who in our lifetime will join us on stage, if need be, and make a fool of themselves in support of something that means so much to us?

Similarly, who in our life could be needing U.S to jump their practices? What kind of small but meaningful show of support could we give to someone we care about, who could Do you really use that little bit of extra breath right now?

We all need a small but committed team of supporters to jump on stage with us, when and if we need it. Or even if they stare from the side, that’s fine too… as long as they cheer us on.

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