Review: Sunshine Cleaning
Last Friday, I went to see I Love You, Man, however it was sold out, so we went to see the only other movie that sounds good that is out, Sunshine Cleaning.
Starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin, Sunshine Cleaning is a film about Rose and Norah (Adams and Blunt), who have found their lives have come to rock bottom. Rose is a single mother who is stuck cleaning houses and taking care not only her child, Oscar, but her lazy sister Norah and their hapless father, Joe (Arkin).
Rose is having an affair with a married cop, who turns her onto the work of Crime Scene Clean-Up to help pay for private school for her son. With the help of her sister, Rose takes up the unusual business.
Sunshine Cleaning is a film in the same vain of Little Miss Sunshine and Juno. It isn’t on the level of those films, but thats not to say it isn’t an enjoyable film.
Adams is one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. Her face is capable of being both full of joy and lost in despair. She is wonderful here. So is Emily Blunt, who has more of the comedic role, but her character is fleshed out very well throughout. Arkin is perfectly suited for the hapless father with some wit. The only thing is the character is a clone of his Academy Award Winning Role in Little Miss Sunshine, which takes away from the film a little bit.
The character I enjoyed most was Winston (Clifton Collins Jr.), the one-armed store clerk at the waste cleanup store that the sisters go to. He plays it just the right amount of humor, understanding, and charm. I’m sure you will enjoy his role.
The film is a character study wrapped in this indie-veil, and at times the actions and emotions of the characters feel forced, and the film crawls a little to the end. The scenes with Blunt and Lynn (24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub), the daughter of one of the victims they clean up after, are a great mix of sensuality and dread.
I would definitely recommend catching this one if you’re a fan of the “Fox Searchlight” type of films and if not, this may not be your cup of tea, but really an enjoyable film as a whole.
