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Movies / Upcoming / 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.

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $12,033,702

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; Australian critics are listed first)
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It's worthwhile just for Adams and Blunt, a partnership made in movie heaven.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
06/19/09
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Best to take a page from Rose's métier and bleach this one fully out of sight and mind.

Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney | comment Comment
06/12/09
Keith Uhlich
Keith Uhlich
Time Out Sydney
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's not that Sunshine Cleaning is a bad film, more that it uses the gnarly cleaning matter as bait, and then fails to deliver the goods. What remains is enjoyable, but not so much that you'd want to go back for seconds.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
06/12/09
Jenni Dawes
Jenni Dawes
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Occasionally it struggles to walk the line between black comedy and bleak dysfunction. Ultimately, though, this is a fresh and refreshing outing with a surprising amount of heart.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment Comment
06/10/09
Rod Yates
Rod Yates
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amy Adams [is] terrific in Sunshine Cleaning but the material lets her down. It’s as if it’s trying to push every indie film button in the book.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
06/10/09
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Although the film isn't brilliant, the script has its moments and includes some memorable dialogue: "How'd she die?" "It was a do-it-yourself kinda thing."

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
06/10/09
Colin Newton
Colin Newton
Courier Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The irony of the Sunshine named small enterprise specialising in cleaning up post-death mess suggests the filmmakers may be aiming for a tone of dark comic entertainment, but the film does not play out that way.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/05/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Surprisingly moving, this subtle black comedy that deals with cleaning up the mess that life dishes out, has plenty more going for it than an unusual premise.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/05/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Sunshine Cleaning has that "Sundance" vibe, in that it feels overly developed and tested for a bittersweet 'indie" feel and for maximum quirkiness.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/28/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Shows there's nothing indie dramedies can't turn into faux-regional quirk

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/25/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Not entirely insubstantial, even as the bulk evaporates from the mind.

Full Review Source: Suite101.com | comment Comment
08/25/09
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Suite101.com

The sort of movie you root for, hoping it'll break through to be something special. It never quite does, but it still has the not-insignificant value of two fine actresses cast as sisters. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
08/20/09
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

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

There's close to nothing about this film that isn't contrived, forced and reminiscent of movies that twist themselves into knots to achieve Harold and Maude-like quirky charm.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment 1 Comment
08/14/09
Jordan Hoffman
Jordan Hoffman
UGO

Everything Amy Adams touches turns to gold, and even here where she is playing a character thoroughly down on her luck, she is luminous.

Full Review Source: Screenwize | comment Comment
08/10/09
Cris Kennedy
Cris Kennedy
Screenwize

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

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]
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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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...

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