Little Miss Sunshine , directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, follows the dysfunctional Hoover family as they embark on a road trip to help their young daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin), participate in a beauty pageant. The family consists of Olive, her parents, Richard (Greg Kinnear) and Sheryl (Toni Collette), her half-brother, Dwayne (Paul Dano), and her grandfather, Edwin (Alan Arkin). The film masterfully captures the complexities of blended family life, revealing the ways in which family members negotiate their relationships and form new bonds.

Lonergan, K. (2005). The Family Stone [Screenplay]. New York: Script City.

Hetherington, E. M., & Kelly, J. (2002). For Better or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered . New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Krein, S. F. (2012). Us and Them: A Study of Blended Family Relationships . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.