Sunshine Cleaning Review

by Steve Rhodes (steve DOT rhodes AT internetreviews DOT com)
March 21st, 2009

SUNSHINE CLEANING
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): **

Not nearly dark enough to be even close to being a black comedy and not funny enough to be a comedy at all, SUNSHINE CLEANING works, when it works at all, as a small drama about people living a hardscrabble life. Mainly, however, the film is little more than a long series of misfires, which will likely have viewers leaving the theater disappointed.

No matter how much the studio has tried to market the film as the next LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, SUNSHINE CLEANING is no LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, even though both films star Alan Arkin, share producers and have SUNSHINE in the title. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE sizzled because of the sharply written script by Michael Arndt, who is currently working on TOY STORY 3. In contrast, Megan Holley's writing for SUNSHINE CLEANING completely lacks punch. With one exception, the character of Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams, ENCHANTED), the characters are never developed enough to make us care for them, and the humor, which comes sporadically, is never worth more than a few fleeting smiles and certainly no laughs.

The story does possess a promisingly off-beat set-up. Rose and her sister Norah (Emily Blunt, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA), a quintessential screw-up, form a business cleaning up after deaths. When people are murdered, commit suicide or die of natural causes, Rose and Norah's company, the euphemistically named SUNSHINE CLEANING, is called in to clean up the mess, which is usually horrifically smelly and almost always contains some sort of biohazard. Of course, others are in this business as well, and most, like Carl (Kevin Chapman, "Brotherhood"), resent newcomers without the proper credentials who try to undercut the going rate in order to get customers.
The movie consists of slow, plodding episodes that all sound funnier and more interesting than director Christine Jeffs can ever make them. This is the third film for Jeffs, and, at least in my book, three was not a charm for her. I really liked her first two films, RAIN and SYLVIA, but SUNSHINE CLEANING did nothing for me. It is never bad film, but, other than Adams's fine performance, there is nothing to recommend it.

Looking more haggard and forlorn than ever, Adams is quite good as a poor woman with boundless ambition but no real skills, other than the willingness to work as hard as necessary in order to make a living for her eight-year-old son Oscar (Jason Spevack) and herself. Still stuck emotionally in high school, Rose is a former head cheerleader who continues to have an affair with her high school sweetheart and quarterback Mac (Steve Zahn), a local police officer who is married with a family and a very pregnant wife. Yes, you guessed it. Oscar is Mac's son.

"You are strong," reads the post-it on Rose's mirror. "You are powerful. You can do anything. You are a winner." But, although Rose repeats these positive affirmations to herself, she is just the opposite of her little homilies. Like her dad (Alan Arkin), a loser of a salesman who drives an old Cadillac junker and who goes from one hopeless get rich scheme to another, Rose seems destined to be constantly falling behind on life's treadmill.

SUNSHINE CLEANING is a frustrating film, since one suspects that, with some major script rewrites, it could have been terrific, especially with a cast this strong.

SUNSHINE CLEANING runs 1:40. It is rated R for "language, disturbing images, some sexuality and drug use" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, March 20, 2009. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the CineArts theaters.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: [email protected]

***********************************************************************
Want reviews of new films via Email?
Just write [email protected] and put "subscribe" in the subject line.

More on 'Sunshine Cleaning'...


Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.