The characterization of Frank and Richard throughout Little Miss Sunshine positions them as opposites in their strive toward life satisfaction. Frank, who is recovering from a suicide attempt, seems to have lost everything that he has accomplished, including his job, reputation, and social connections. It is revealed early in the movie that Frank used to be a professor in high standing among his colleagues. Following a series of events that began with Frank’s unrequited interest in his graduate student, Josh, and ended with Josh getting together with Larry Sugarman, the second most highly regarded Proust scholar after Frank, Frank loses his job due to his subsequent poor behavior. After losing his job, it takes one final push for him to attempt suicide, Larry Sugarman being awarded the Genius Grant by the MacArthur Foundation, a blow to both his professional reputation and his self-esteem. Frank seemingly had everything to lose, and lost it, while Richard seems to be striving for wealth and success, and seems to have been striving toward such a goal for his entire life.

Richard is obsessed with winning, yet he is always running after success and never seems to find it. Ironically, despite his obsession, Richard is not adept at winning himself, and masks this particular self consciousness with overt displays of confidence. The opening scene is illustrative of this fact, and displays Richard giving a speech on his nine-step path to success, confident and self assured when he recites his last line, “No hesitating, no complaining, and no excuses” (2:00). In the next moment, the auditorium lights turn on and his meager, half-asleep audience is revealed. The dichotomy between these two moments demonstrates how Richard is working toward a goal that he has yet to achieve and that he has little to lose in terms of his job. His dissatisfaction at the turnout is palpable, but he continues to present himself as triumphant, especially to his family.

Richard’s mask of self confidence and whole-hearted trust in his nine-steps tends to manifest itself outwardly to his family, to the point where Olive is terrified of losing the Little Miss Sunshine pageant because Richard has drilled into her that losing is fundamentally bad. Throughout the movie, Richard reminds everyone of his up and coming success at the hands of Stan Grossman, a producer who promised Richard they would publish a book together on his nine-step plan. For all of his faults, Richard is hard working and follows his own advice, hounding Stan in order to land a deal. However, his adamance to speak with Stan delays the road trip as he stops to find a payphone and, in his devastation at finding out the deal fell through, accidentally leaves Olive at the gas station. His endeavors demonstrate his relationship with success, which he desperately craves but cannot seem to grasp, and his actions display an externalized manifestation of his unhappiness with this reality. 

Frank and Richard, in line with their opposite characterization, manifest their dissatisfaction with their lives almost completely oppositely as well. Frank internalizes most of his feelings regarding his graduate student and Larry Sugarman, and is quiet and composed when discussing his suicide attempt with Olive at the dinner table. He speaks about how his actions fall onto him and no one else. Later that night, Frank and Dwayne are getting ready to sleep, both in Dwayne’s room so that Frank is not left alone, Dwayne holds up a piece of paper that reads “please don’t kill yourself tonight” (21:23). Frank soothes his worry by responding, “Not on your watch, I wouldn’t do that to you” (21:29). Richard, on the other hand, is working as a motivational speaker, and his teachings often bleed into his home life. He is consistently correcting his family’s behavior with the intention of always having them win, and uses their perceived failure as a platform to present his nine-steps to success. Richard’s incessant need to succeed is translated outwardly toward his family and implies his inability to admit to himself that he is struggling or unhappy. His dissatisfaction with himself and his life is reflected back at his family, contrasting Frank with his outward displays of life dissatisfaction.

BROAD CRITERIA FOR A DSM

DIAGNOSIS

MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is defined by the presence of at least one major depressive episode (MDE), without any history of manic or hypomanic episodes. The essential feature of an MDE is a period of at least two weeks with either a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. This must occur for most of the day, nearly every day. In addition to this, a person experiencing an MDE must also have at least four other symptoms from a list that includes:

• Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day
• Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day
• Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt, or a specific plan for suicidal behavior

The criteria for a diagnosis of MDD are generally broad, many including both the excessive experience of and depleted experience of a symptom. Such criteria can reasonably be attributed to two individuals with varying or even opposite symptom manifestations. According to the DSM-5, Person A, who has lost a significant amount of weight, does not sleep at night, has impaired movement, and cannot seem to concentrate can be similarly diagnosed to Person B, who has gained weight, sleeps through the day, fidgets, and has suicidal ideation. Because the criteria for MDD can describe a wide range of people, Person A and Person B can both be accurately diagnosed with MDD and never display the same symptoms.

ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. Its diagnosis relies on having symptoms of either inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity or both. This distinction means that ADHD presents in three forms: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, or a combined presentation. The list of symptoms includes: