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Movies / On DVD / Sunshine Cleaning
Sunshine Cleaning

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Sunshine Cleaning (2009)

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Reviews Counted:7

Fresh:4

Rotten:3

Average Rating:5.3/10

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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Reviews for Sunshine Cleaning

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1 - 7 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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]
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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
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/23/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

At times, the movie works, but those are the times it (and even we) forget what it's really about.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/19/09
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A better title for the movie...would be Sundance Recycling, since the picture is less a free-standing independent film than a scrap-metal robot built after a shopping spree at the Park City Indie Parts and Salvage Warehouse.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/13/09
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A smartly done morality tale that couldn't be more in sync with these troubled times.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/12/09
Betsy Sharkey
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 7 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Sunshine Cleaning

June 14, 2009: Box-office: Terminator Hungover
Much like McG's endless grey landscapes, it was a cold, bleak dawn at the Australian box-office this weekend for Terminator Salvation, as the sequel collapsed against the debut... More...

March 26, 2009: The Amy Adams Sunshine Cleaning Insite Interview Opens in new window
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March 15, 2009: Bringing Death to Life for Sunshine Cleaning Opens in new window
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt clean up some pretty grisly stuff in the upcoming dark comedy "Sunshine Cleaning" -- but that was just for the cameras. The movie's biohazard... More...

March 12, 2009: Critics Consensus: Race to Witch Mountain Doesn't Cast A Spell
This week at the movies, we've got a supernatural quest (Race to Witch Mountain, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb), a vengeance thriller (Last House on... More...

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