A KIND OF BEAUTY EMERGES FROM `LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

The doofus dad wants to be Tony Robbins. The long-suffering mom wishes he'd put away his pipe dreams and be there for the family. The sullen son has taken a vow of silence. The ungainly daughter wants to be a beauty queen.

The grandfather snorts heroin. Mom's brother -- the gay American Proust scholar -- just tried to kill himself.

Put these people together in VW Microbus, and you'd think you'd have a recipe for disaster -- and I'm referring to a cinematic calamity of the ``RV'' variety. But the characters in the Sundance hit ``Little Miss Sunshine'' are so adeptly drawn -- and superbly played -- that you can easily forgive the film's sometimes forced kookiness. You may know exactly where the Hoover family is going on this road trip, but the pleasure is watching these misfits learn something about themselves and each other along the way.

``Little Miss Sunshine'' comes from three first-timers -- co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, a husband-and-wife team known for their music videos and commercials (evident in their style here), and writer Michael Arndt. They have created an unconventional family of losers -- or at least, they're losers as defined by our winner-takes-all societal standards (and, in this case, who's to argue?) -- who belatedly come to realize, like their television counterparts, the Simpsons, that being kin can cover a multitude of sins.

This might be the best ensemble cast of the year: Greg Kinnear finds the vulnerable humanity of a dad who would tell his daughter, ``Don't apologize. It's a sign of weakness.'' Toni Collette, playing the mom, veers between simmering resentment and an aching desire to keep her family together. Alan Arkin entertains as the nihilistic grandpa; Abigail Breslin somehow manages to keep her dignity as the 7-year-old girl fixated on winning the world's crassest beauty pageant. (The horror of this contest is the one instance when the movie doesn't transcend the obvious.)

But two actors manage to stand out, even in this stellar group, mainly by burrowing so deeply into their characters' alienation.

A bearded Steve Carell plays the suicidal Proust scholar, and the haunted look in his eyes will stay with you long after the movie is over. And Paul Dano's eyes are equally expressive, orbs containing pain, contempt and self-loathing. And the young actor is very, very funny.

``Welcome to hell,'' Dano's silent teen writes on his notepad when Carell's character arrives at the house. Maybe he's right, but for a family of losers, this is one winning bunch.

Glenn Whipp, [phone].

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Three stars

(R: language, some sex, drug content)

Starring: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin.

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris.

Running time: 1 hr. 40 min.

Playing: ArcLight in Hollywood; AMC Century 15 in Century City. Goes wider in August.

In a nutshell: For a family of losers, this is one winning bunch.

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Photo:

Alan Arkin, left, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear take to the road to help fulfill the dream of Breslin's character in ``Little Miss Sunshine.''