If you haven’t yet seen Little Miss Sunshine, get out right away and watch this film. I went last night with a group of gal pals, and we wholeheartedly loved this flick. I’ve wanted to see it since its initial buzz at Sundance, but that was purely because of the local tie-in. (One of my favorite local bands, DeVotchKa, did the film score.) Now that I’ve seen it, I totally agree with the many raving reviews it has received. We’re talking laugh-out-loud funny, but with a perfect dose of darkness to the humor. I’m not giving anything away by telling you that little Olive’s performance at the Little Miss Sunshine pageant is well worth the price of admission all on its own. We were literally shrieking — along with the rest of the theater — during this scene.

And I’m sure that had nothing to do with the fact that my friends had spent a bit of time parked at the bar upstairs. If you do go, here’s another piece of advice. See it at the Mayan Theatre, where you can meet for cocktails either pre- or post-show (or both, as was the case with my crowd last night) for catching up before the show, and comparing notes afterward.