By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Alan Arkin | Amy Adams | Clifton Collins | Emily Blunt | Jason Spevack | Jr. | Mary Lynn Rajskub | Steve Zahn
Country: united_states
Year: 2009
Running time: 91
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/
Michael says: “SUNSHINE CLEANING is a nice movie. It features some terrific, heartfelt performances, and a script that is as unconventional at times as it is cliché at others. Rose and Norah are sisters who need jobs. Rose has a son she needs to enroll in private school, and Norah has been fired from her waitress gig. Together they form Sunshine Cleaning, a company that cleans up after violent crimes. They slowly find themselves successful at their new endeavor, but Rose has a need to prove her worth (when she’s not sleeping with her high school boyfriend, now married with two children) and Norah is struggling with mother issues, longing for the mother she can barely remember who died when she was quite young. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are terrific as Rose and Norah respectively, and Clifton Collins, Jr., Steve Zahn, and the woefully underused Mary Lynn Rajskub are all terrific in supporting roles. The biggest misstep here was with Alan Arkin as the women’s father. As the default caretaker to Rose’s young son, Arkin’s Joe comes up with all sorts of schemes to make money which more often than not end up failing miserably. Their times together on screen aren’t particularly interesting, and take away from the main storyline. This is where the script could have been trimmed down and more time given to the two leads who were a joy to watch. Director Christine Jeffs made some interesting visual choices, especially in the trestling scene where Norah hangs onto the train trestles as a train roars overhead. Jeffs directed the Australian film RAIN, which was also visually intriguing. 3 ½ cats”
Thom says: “This film reminded me a lot of the terrific LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE although the subject matter is not comparable, the off-kilter, redemptive, screenplay should interest the same viewers. Also, long-lasting Alan Arkin is terrific supporting talent in both films. Amy Adams is definitely turning into one of our most versatile and charming actresses now working. And, upcoming Emily Blunt scores heavily here. Steve Zahn is really coming into his own, as well. This charmer is about two sisters who go into the biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service to raise much needed cash after a number of unfortunate circumstances. 5 cats”