Sunshine Cleaning

Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Clifton Collins Jr., Steven Zahn and Mary Lynn “Zoltan!” Rajskub

Director: Christine Jeffs

Synopsis: Rose (Adams) used to be the captain of the high school cheerleading squad and dated the quarterback, Mac (Zahn). Now, twenty years later, Rose is a single mother who cleans houses for a living, carries on a not-so-secret affair with her old flame and yearns for a better life for her and her son. Rose’s sister, Norah (Blunt), is a bon vivant who can’t hold down a job and lives with their father (Arkin) – a failed entrepreneur. Looking to make more money, Mac suggests Rose begin cleaning up crime scenes – a career Rose throws herself into with the help of a local cleaning supplier, Winston (Collins). Working together, Rose and Norah start Sunshine Cleaning and quickly make a name for themselves.

Opinion: Vanity Fair said this movie was “funny and gently heartbreaking”. I don’t know about the “gently”, but I agree. Rose’s life is one of these over-done, cliched comedic tragedies where she has absolutely nothing to show for her work but a loving family. You can’t help but feel sorry for the young woman and wonder why she isn’t locked up in some insane asylum already. Of course, as with any similar “comedy”, the sisters have different views on life at the beginning which ultimately comes to drive a temporary wedge between them before they realize what’s important and “discover a true respect for one another”. (Yeah… The box says it all.)

If you saw Little Miss Sunshine and enjoyed it, you’ll probably like Sunshine Cleaning even more. There’s the same sort of dysfunctional coexistence with the family members, but I think the story is a little more entertaining. However, I think there’s a lot more dark sentimentality in Sunshine Cleaning as it deals consistently with the idea of death and the lives people leave behind.

As always, Alan Arkin plays a magnificent patriarch – even if a little misguided.

Score (out of 10):