Steve Carell: From Virgin to Suicidal Gay Man

You know him as a nerdy, but endearing, 40 year old virgin. Or as the boss on NBC's "The Office" for which is was recently nominated for an Emmy. In this week's new Fox Searchlight film "Little Miss Sunshine," Steve Carell plays Uncle Frank, a gay man on a road trip from hell with his family as he recovers from attempting suicide.

I saw the movie in a sold-out theater at The Grove recently and it is a GEM! It was laugh out loud funny plenty of the time but also moving. It is one of the best movies I have seen this year.

"Sunshine" is enough good that I won't quibble about another film with a suicidal man recently dumped by his lover. In "Poseidon," Richard Dreyfuss was preparing to take leap off the boat (still upright at that point) until he saw the giant tidal wave in the distance. Suddenly, he didn't want to die so much. In "Sunshine," Carell is fired from his university job and his pain is made worse by the fact that his ex his left him to hook up with his academic arch-rival who is also riding atop the best sellers list. Ouch!

Carell is terrific in a role that is a departure for him. When he runs into the young boyfriend who jilted him at a convenience store (and hides his still bandaged wrists), your heart goes out to him. Then you root for him to get over the little jerk. What's nice is that by film's end, you know he has regained his spirit.

Directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, "Little Miss Sunshine" also stars Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette. It primarily tells the story of young Olive (the adorable Abigail Breslin) whose dream is to be a beauty pageant winner. When she's invited to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California, her eclectic family embarks on a road trip filled with revelations, realizations, and quirky adventures.

Check out a lengthy review in the AfterElton.com Web site.