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Are You in Need of Some “Sunshine Cleaning”? (Christine Jeffs, 2008)
Single mother Amy Adams’ life has not panned out as she would have envisioned when crowned Prom Queen at her high school. A new business venture though, gives her the opportunity to take charge of her life. As you have come to expect from my reviews, there are no spoilers here.
Starlet Amy Adams puts in a very believable performance as the single mother who takes on her own business. Image via Wikipedia
Naive single mother Amy Adams has a lot of tough decisions to make. Her son’s school are at the end of their tether as far as his erratic and strange behaviour is concerned and, in order to send him to a private school, she will need to boost her earnings significantly as her current job will allow her to only scratch that economic surface! A former high school princess, our heroine has fallen from grace spectacularly in the eyes of her former peers, most of whom are living the Prom Queen dream of a house in the suburbs with 1.9 children and a former star quarterback for a husband. This was the life she wanted but events have shaped her life differently. With the help of former boyfriend Steve Zahn she discovers an opening in a steady industry and decides to start her own business: Sunshine Cleaning. Her job is to clean up crime scenes!
Emily Blunt as the free-spirited sister with a penchant for empty-handedness. Image via Wikipedia
She hires her free-spirited and unemployed grunge sister Emily Blunt and together they set about establishing themselves in a competitive yet lucrative market. Their father Alan Arkin and cleaning store owner Clifton Collins Jr. keep tabs on their progress from their respective positions. As a result of the nature of the business the humour is dark and macabre at times, inducing spinal chills and giggles simultaneously. Mary Lynn Rajskub (the dependable Chloe from hit US television series ‘24′) has her moments too but I felt her character, along with a couple others, were slightly underwritten…only slightly. Alternatively one could state that there is scope for the audience to fill in certain characters’ backgrounds with imaginative suggestions….I guess it depends how deep one is willing to think at the time of viewing. The performances are all good though and the characters’ collective flaws give this film a realistic edge which is all too rarely seen. Sunshine Cleaning is an ‘Indie’ film with a big heart and a conscience mind. The business partnership allows the two sisters to bond in new ways, making for an excellent central relationship. The direction is conducted with little panning or landscaping giving the film an enclosed feel, as though we are part of our own private portraited community. The scenes in which panning is used are memorable though. Enjoyable little film, which has an honourable frankness and honesty about it, calling our stars motives, actions and attitudes into question at nearly every turn…keeping them honest and on their toes. Well written and directed with love.
Participants dressed and ready for their big Prom Night. Image via Wikipedia
7/10
