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Movies / On DVD / Sunshine Cleaning
Sunshine Cleaning

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Sunshine Cleaning (2009)

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Reviews Counted:150

Fresh:108

Rotten:42

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Despite a sometimes overly familiar plot, Sunshine Cleaning benefits from the lively performances of its two stars.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language, disturbing images, some sexuality and drug use.

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:26-06-2009

Synopsis: From the producers of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE comes the charming Sundance hit SUNSHINE CLEANING, a spirited comedy-drama starring Amy Adams (DOUBT, ENCHANTED) as single-mom Rose Lorkowski, a plucky... From the producers of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE comes the charming Sundance hit SUNSHINE CLEANING, a spirited comedy-drama starring Amy Adams (DOUBT, ENCHANTED) as single-mom Rose Lorkowski, a plucky ex-cheerleader now cleaning houses and having an affair with her high-school sweetheart, Mac (Steve Zahn). When Mac, a police detective, suggests the lucrative job opportunities in crime-scene cleanup, Rose enlists her sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), to join her in the gory but ultimately fulfilling business enterprise. The sisterly chemistry between Adams and Blunt is impressive and forms the crux of their characters' growth throughout the film: Rose’s optimism--reciting self-affirmations and positive spins on her occupation ("It’s a growth industry")--complements Norah’s cynical, wickedly humorous exterior, which hides her bruised, vulnerable heart. Rounding out this likable cast is Alan Arkin, appearing as Joe, the sisters' lovably grumpy father, and Jason Spevack, who plays Rose’s eight-year-old son, Oscar. SUNSHINE CLEANING has all the familiar ingredients of a small independent feature (dysfunctional family spanning three generations, offbeat comic situations, dark emotional subtext), but thanks to the keen directorial hand of Christine Jeffs (who also directed the Sylvia Plath biopic, SYLVIA), and a smart screenplay from first-time writer Megan Holley, the film manages to transcend indie-film quirkiness, offering a heartfelt story of family bonds and the unexpected curveballs in life’s road. [More]

Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn

Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Jason Spevack, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins, Eric Christian Olsen, Kevin Chapman

Director: Christine Jeffs

Director: Christine Jeffs
Screenwriter: Megan Holley
Producer: Glenn Williamson, Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf, Jeb Brody
Composer: Michael Penn
Studio: Overture Films

[See More Credits]

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1 - 4 of 11

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Reviews for Sunshine Cleaning

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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While it may sound like Little Miss Sunshine's poor relative, or Sundance by-the-numbers, this is an enjoyable, poignant, moving and - yes - funny film in its own right.

Full Review Source: Filmstar Magazine | comment Comment
08/17/09
Anne Wollenberg
Anne Wollenberg
Filmstar Magazine

Jeffs makes a good fist of the direction and Blunt proves that she can do comedy, but it’s Adams’s comforting, charismatic central turn which really gives the film its lift.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/03/09
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ultimately, the film is too neat, and too cloyingly sweet to tackle anything resembling real life.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/03/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Instead of something fresh and funny, this film is as formulaic and empty as any Hollywood blockbuster.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment Comment
07/03/09
Cosmo Landesman
Cosmo Landesman
Sunday Times (UK)

This is nearly a decent family comedy - but like the mantra-chuntering character Adams plays, it's just not confident enough of its strong points to really stand out.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
07/03/09
Jason Solomons
Jason Solomons
Observer [UK]

Far from being a tragic grind, Sunshine Cleaning is one long, wonderful irony. It feels like a first film – delicate, fresh and female.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
07/03/09
Lorien Haynes
Lorien Haynes
Little White Lies

Jeffs shows economy in her direction and steers through the potentially difficult script with skilful handling of tone and mood, wonderfully striking balance between laughs and tears. What a relief it is to unearth this quietly sparkling gem.

Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment Comment
07/03/09
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Digital Spy

Sunshine Cleaning gets an A for Amy Adams. Injecting some heartfelt, three-dimensional zest into the wispy, two-dimensional story, she spares this copycat indie’s blushes and scores a winning combo with Blunt.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
07/03/09
Matt Mueller
Matt Mueller
Total Film

The film has poor commercial prospects, as its plot is too slender, its tone too blandly upbeat.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
07/03/09
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

It's a film so achingly average it almost deserves an award for mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
07/03/09
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

The plot dithers and zigzags but only because human credibility, helped by excellent acting, has been allowed to prevail over Sundance-institutionalised designer whimsy.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
07/03/09
Nigel Andrews
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times

It's not on a par with Little Miss: there's some whimsical-tragical stuff about talking to the dead via CB radio, and the producers might want to think beyond using "Sunshine" in a title again. But I would have been sorry to miss this.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
07/03/09
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Sunshine Cleaning is a winning combination of heartbreak and quirky humour.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
07/03/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

Sunshine Cleaning will be the sleeper of this year, a movie soon to be talked about in the same breath as Sideways, Juno and Little Miss Sunshine.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
07/03/09
Andrew O'Hagan
Andrew O'Hagan
This is London

Sunshine Cleaning is not perverse for the sake of it: its eccentricities arise from characters whose lives fall outside the life guide manuals.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
06/27/09
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
06/26/09
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Could have been a little more darkly comic in places but the performances are superb.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
06/26/09
Angie Errigo
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
06/25/09
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/11/09
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Megan Holley's script feels like it's been Sundance-workshopped to death. However, the cast - led by Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin - establishes a vibrantly odd family bond that sustains "Sunshine Cleaning" through its dimmer portions.

Full Review Source: Suite101.com | comment Comment
09/30/09
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
Suite101.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Sunshine Cleaning

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