6. The Hoover Family – Little Miss Sunshine
This one might seem like an odd pick, but really think about it. Little Miss Sunshine is more than just a tragi-comedy, it’s an unexpectedly uplifting film. The family at its core are a huge part of that, even if they initially seem like a fairly unhappy bunch.
The Hoover family spend most of the film trying to do one thing: to get Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. They know she’s not the most obvious contender, but it’s her dream, and they all go along to support it (some more willingly than others). They even drag along her suicidal uncle, so as not to leave him alone. Sounds like a great family road trip, doesn’t it?
Well, it’s not – Grandpa dies along the way and Olive’s brother Dwayne has his dreams crushed. But the Hoovers set off on an odyssey of supportiveness, and by the time the film ends, they all have a newfound appreciation for one another. What’s more, they teach Olive to embrace her differences and love herself for who she is in a show of unforgettable familial solidarity. They might be a little unorthodox, but we’d love to have a family like the Hoovers.