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Analysis of Little Miss Sunshine

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Analysis of Little Miss Sunshine
Video Case Study: Olive Hoover
Kim Preuit
University of Southern California

Olive Hoover is a seven year old that is afforded an opportunity to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant by chance. Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a family who, in the face of many physical, emotional, and social obstacles, band together to support the dreams of Olive. The following discussion is a theoretical analysis of Olive Hoover applying concepts from four theories, and a critical analysis of each theory.
Case Description
Background
The Hoover family is a blended lower-middle class family who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico in a single family home. The matriarch of the family is Sheryl, whose occupation is the main source of income for the family. Richard is the patriarch of the family. He is a motivational speaker who attempts and fails at developing a nine step motivational success program to bring in more income for the family. Edwin Hoover is Richard’s foul-mouthed father, who was forced to leave his retirement home after being caught using heroine. Dwayne Hoover is Sheryl’s son from her first marriage, who takes a nine month vow of silence until his admission into the Air Force Academy. Lastly, Olive Hoover is the innocent seven year old, unaffected by critical events that have occurred in her household, including learning about suicide, death, and rejection.
The Hoover household is not filled with a lot of material possessions. There is a small tube TV in the living room, the home is outdated, there is minimal décor, and they drive an outdated vehicle. Olive listens to a disc man, an electronic that is obsolete nowadays. The clothes that the family wears are also outdated, and Olive wears hand me downs. The personalities of all of Olive’s family members’ do not deter Olive from accepting her extended family. Her grandfather talks about sex and uses excessive profanity in front of Olive, yet she shows her love and dedication to him.

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