This movie was very well-acted, no doubt about it. And the story and dialogue are all very likable and they get their laughs.

My only problem is with not this movie in particular, but many movies that attempt to blend tragedy and comedy using sitcom character. Blending tragedy and comedy is cool, but when it's done with sitcom characters, there's always this limit as to how affecting the film can be.

It's the same problem I have with many other movies that I file under this category, such as Terms of Endearment. They're nice enjoyable fun movies, and they don't really offend anyone, so I can't complain. But there's a limit to their greatness due to the limitations of the characters.

The reason why some of these movies persevere and turn out so successful (Terms of Endearment, Little Miss Sunshine, others) is due to the amount that the actors put into it. A sitcom tragicomedy film is only as successful as the actors in it, and Little Miss Sunshine had some great ones. Steve Carell continues to plow forward with his success, Toni Collette never fails to bring heart to any character she plays no matter how small, and I thought Abigal Breslin was absolutely delightful and brought a truth to her role that few child actors can do.

I just found myself thinking afterwards why it didn't hit me as deep as other tragicomedies have. Then I thought it's probably because there's the "success-driven dad who learns a lesson about family," and the "horny old grandpa," and the "depressed son who hates his family who learns to love them," and the like. Granted, these characters exist in real life, but they're so tried and true that unless these characters have real meat on their bones, they don't truly resonate with us afterward-- they have the effect of a comfort food.

SO in conclusion, I agree with the sentiment that this is easily one of the best movies we've seen all year. It was an absolute joy to watch actors have fun with this dialogue and these characters. But this also really makes me yearn for the independent cinema that takes big risks, that forces me to either love or hate it. This was probably the safest "indie comedy" I've ever seen, and while you can't fault it for that, you can wonder what's going on with moviegoers when this is the only breakout small film of the year. Does this show (a) that moviegoers are showing more and more of a predilection towards safe, mainstream fare? (b) there is a noticeable lack of well-done edgy cinema this year, a year when even Oliver Stone played it as safe as can be? (c) a combination of both?

I was just wondering your thoughts on all of this. I really did enjoy the movie, and I hope this rambling dissertation on the state of cinema didn't somehow mute that point.