Little Miss Sunshine

Remember how Sideways was the sleeper hit of 2004 (I think)? Well you're looking at Oscar material again in 2006. For eccentric characters, you don;t get much weirder than this:
A struggling motivational speaker whose family are sick of his speeches; his capable wife, who is about the only sane person in the movie; her gay, pre-eminent Proust scholar brother (a hilarious Steve Carell), who tried to commit suicide when his boyfriend left him for his rival; the son who made a vow of Nietzsche-inspired silence and writing on notepads until he realises his dream of being a pilot; his expletive-spewing grandfather who spends half the movie telling him to "F*** lots of women!", and finally the flower of the family, the adorable Olive, who they are all trying to get to California on time to take part in some Barbie Doll-lookalike contest masquerading as a junior beauty pageant.
A heartwarming road trip coming-of-age story that doesn't try too hard, with the lovable Olive the honey-coated heart of the whole story.
Alternative title: How to drive from 700 miles without a clutch and stuck horn.
I put next month's salary on the fact that you're gonna love this one.