Little Miss Sunshine

Breakthrough American indie, pretty conventional, road movie, that has a pleasant and humorous tone, some sweet moments, and its compass pointing in the right direction.
The cast are excellent, especially Alan Arkin and Steve Carell. They are at once very funny while remaining very much real. Perhaps the film would have been funnier if it had become more absurd, and it does at times become all rather surreal, but generally the groundedness of it gives it a direction and purpose than keeps the attention firmly held.
The director will not necessarilly, because they've done a good job tonally in this film, have a great career; the scenes aren't noticeably well shot (aesthetically or storytelling-wise), and the story is rather lightweight. They do however completely overcome these weaknesses in this particular case, by a terrific script, not attention seeking but always in the foreground, and a willigness to listen to characters while I once keep things moving along. The moments of tenderness are a little cliched, but deserve their pathos and the actors hand it very well. The tone developed is able to puncture these moments with laughter, even as it keeps them true.
This film would be just a bit better than 'good' if it was not for the routine at the end, which is one of the most joyful and fun scenes we have seen in a long time. It was in this scene that we realised we had become emotionally invested; thanks to the good script and the fine acting. This is a scene to be treasured.
Overall, we liked this film very much.