What was the purpose and meaning behind Olive's actions in the Little Miss Sunshine - Movie Review Example

July What was the purpose and meaning behind Olive's actions in the movie "Little Miss Sunshine". Olive is a very caring little child who is inquisitive in her manner so that she gets to learn a lot of things. In the start, when she first meets Frank on the dining table, she can not help asking Frank what happened to him. Although Richard continuously interrupts her conversation with Frank, yet Olive would not stop unless she has reached the root-cause of the problem. She is too small and innocent to understand why Frank would love a boy.

Her innocence reflects in her sweet little questions that keep popping up from time to time. Olive’s affection and consideration for her family can be estimated from the fact that she offers everyone her little cup of ice cream in the round booth. She says, “Does anyone want my ice cream?” (Dayton and Faris) and everybody except Richard tugs in unless she has to make them realize that she will be left with nothing if they don’t just stop. Olive chooses to sleep with her grandpa at the motel just to have a chance to rehearse the dance.

Olive is very conscious about her success and wants it badly. She wants to succeed so badly that she becomes nervous and asks her grandpa if she would succeed. Here again, Olive does not want to lose because her dad does not like losers. In the most tense moments, she cares about the sentiments not her own, but of her dad. She shares a unique bond with her grandpa. He is not only her dance tutor, but also her counselor. Olive learns from the grandpa that she has already won by competing in the dance contest, and that her dad would never hate her.

When the grandpa wishes her good-night, Olive says, “Don’t let the bugs bite!” (Dayton and Faris). This essentially speaks of her consideration and love for others. In her small capacity, she says or does everything that would make others happy and safe, be that her offer of ice cream to others at the round booth, her warning to grandpa to beware of the bugs or her attempt to win the competition to make her father proud. It is Olive that approaches Richard to make him aware of grandpa’s condition, and then when everyone is anxious in the hospital waiting room, Olive attempts to relieve their pain and invites different characters for the eye-test so that they would get distracted and would relax a bit.

Olive is optimistic in her approach. This can be estimated from the fact that when her grandpa dies, she discusses with Frank that all who die go to heaven. Having tested Dwayne on the eye chart, Olive declares, “20/20 vision! Mom, Dwayne has 20/20 vision!” (Dayton and Faris). This is again, overestimation of Dwayne’s eye-sight that originates in Olives’ optimism. Later, when Dwayne finds out that he is color-blind and becomes upset, Olive makes him get back to normal. Finally, despite being in competition with smarter and skinnier girls, Olive performs with confidence.

All of these actions speak of Olive’s optimism, love and regard for others. Works Cited: Dayton, Jonathan, and Faris, Valerie. dir. Little Miss Sunshine. 2006. Film.