Sunshine Cleaning: Lacks Sheen
The movie Sunshine Cleaning lacks the sheen and it is actually meant to portray dark comedy but fails to bring even a smile on your face. Rose played by Amy Adams is a single parent who is stuck in a major financial crisis and has an affair with a high school boy friend who is already married to someone else.
Film: Sunshine Cleaning
Cast: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack, Steve Zahn
Director: Christine Jeffs
Writer: Megan Holly
Running time: 1 hour and 42 minutes
Rating: 2.5/5
Her sister Norah is a goofball lover and her son is notorious at school. She chooses to do a job of cleaning the dirt at the crime scene. Now, this does not sound bright at any stretch of your imagination.
Rose plays an adorable mother who understands Oscar, her 7-year old son. Oscar is actually not disturbed with the situations at home but he is just a little hyperactive and sometimes he lands in trouble for some boyish tantrum. But whatever be the reason, mama Rose is always by his side. And you have Steve Zahn who plays Mac; you would wonder why she has an affair with a guy who took her for a ride and later dumped her to get married to someone else.
Actually she introspects herself with the same question! Here is the probable answer-he gets her a job. Mac is a cop by profession and he learns that people who clean up the mess at the crime scene fetch quite a lot of money and so he sees a business prospectus for the job.
Rose and her sister Norah choose to do the job and start the Sunshine Cleaning. Their job is to clear out the mess in a rather gruesome crime scene; they clean the rugs, walls and remove human debris. And that definitely will not tickle any of your funny bones. The job gives an insight into people’s lives after the death of somebody, during one such incident an ID card in a dead woman’s kitty compels Rose and Norah to make a friend.
When you are about to think there is some meaningful concept emerging the movie leaves you frustrated because it makes an attempt to invoke comedy when in real there is hardly anything to laugh about. It leaves a big question in your mind as to how can you feel pleasant about a movie that revolves around cleaning up the mess of a dead person. The movie suffers with the plot; at one stage the audience may feel they forgot what the film was all about.
The movie has one brownie point though; it is that of Winston played by Clifton Collins Jr.-he owns a hardware shop and takes care of Oscar when his mom is away. He offers some solace in the movie. Amy and Emily Blunt as Norah have done justice to the role but they would certainly be better if it was a different movie. Alan Arkin plays their father Joe and has executed a remarkable performance. Apart from this, the film does not offer anything exciting. It leaves you looking for more when there is nothing left and that could be quite upsetting.
Sunshine Cleaning is rated as R for some images use of language and some sexuality and use of drugs.
