Sunshine Cleaning
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning
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Sunday, 21, Jun 2009 10:47
Directed by Christine Jeffs, in cinemas June 26th, starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin and Steve Zahn, 95 mins.
In a nutshell...
Strange and loveable indie comedy.
What's it all about?
Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) is a hard working single mum and is struggling to support her son with a meagre salary. Meanwhile her sister Norah (Emily Blunt) falls in and unsuccessfully out of jobs and lacks direction in her life.
However, when Rose's eccentric and mischievous son Oscar is forced to leave school (and not for the first time), she is forced to hatch a plan to raise the money to pay for a private education.
Having little experience of anything except cleaning and high-school cheerleading, Rose turns to cop (Steve Zahn) to help her secure some work as a crime scene cleaner - a far more lucrative, yet fairly disgusting way to make a living.
Having enlisted the help of her reluctant sister, the pair set about developing a business in bio-hazard clean ups, while attempting to repair themselves from damage sustained in their past.
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Who's in it?
From the producer of well received indie hit Little Miss Sunshine, Sunshine Cleaning features performances from two of Hollywoods most promising actresses.
The bulk of this film is focussed on Rose, played by Amy Adams, with strong support from Emily Blunt as her sister Norah.
Twice Oscar-nominated Adams, fresh from her role as erstwhile explorer Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian fleshes out Rose, a high school prom queen whose life has tailed off since high school.
Emily Blunt, still most famous for her blisteringly sarcastic performance in The Devil Wears Prada, plays unreliable but loveable slacker Norah.
Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn and Clifton Collins Jr provide entertaining support, while youngster Jason Spevack provides he can provide a nice line in wide-eyed, slightly strange kids.
Director Christine Jeffs is relatively new to the game having helmed just a couple of films before.
As an example...
"There's not a lot that I am good at. But I'm good at getting guys to want me. Not date me, or marry me, but want me." - Rose Lorkowski
"Turns out it's illegal to throw biohazards in the dumpster - who knew?" - Norah Lorkowski
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
This film will do well with critics, and although probably not Oscar baiting, should certainly bag its two female leads a few nominations.
Indie fans will flock to discover this little gem, although I'm sure it won't be competing with Transformers for the title of summer's biggest blockbuster.
What the others say
"The blackly comic potential in the screenplay is frittered away, but terrific performances make the most of the turn-your-life-around dramedy." - Empire
"This funny and touching movie depends on two can-do actresses to scrub past the biohazard of noxious clichés that threaten to intrude." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
So is it any good?
When the first scene of a film shows a man blowing his own brains out, there is a danger that the comedy may get too dark.
Thankfully, Sunshine Cleaning manages to joke about life's only certainty without ever feeling macabre.
Amy Adams shows real subtlety and is dazzling as a vaguely pathetic and yet endearing ex-cheerleader who is struggling to make ends meet.
Brit girl Emily Blunt demonstrates an ability to generate laughter and tears in equal measures with a witty and well observed portrayal of a sarcastic and fairly useless slacker with convincing nods to her troubled past.
Funny and touching, Sunshine Cleaning manages to take its wonderfully strange premise and turn it into something which feels genuinely rewarding.
Despite a couple of unexplored subplots, and one sickly moment with a CB-radio call to heaven, this ever-so-indie movie is a strong contender to be the most charming and unusual film of the summer.
8/10
Gary Huddless