Two down on their luck sisters (Amy Adams and Emily Blunt) try to change their lives by working on the profitable business of
cleaning crime/death scenes. "Sunshine Cleaning", by all means, is a comedy despite the unusual idea of two girls cleaning up blood, puke,
and other body fluids. Yet despite the bizarre premisse, it doesn't take some dark corners to become a dark comedy with thrills and violence,
and instead goes for a life examination of family relations and how they try to help each other on critical times.
And perhaps because of such turn I didn't like it as much as I hoped for, as you put together two great actresses in a comedy with some weird aspect, one easily expects something with thrills and huge nervous laughters, and not exactly a story that gets depressive as it moves to a past tragedy their characters dealt. A fine picture thanks to the charm of its cast (Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr., Mary Lynn Rajskub and Paul Dooley); the funny bits that are actually funny; the character development is also strong; and some special moments that makes of a little film an unforgettable experience (in a very great way).
It's not just the unused dark/creep aspect that failed to impress, as it could easily become a scenario of clueless girls becoming the target of competitors on the field (and the film plays a little with that, with Clifton's business partner), or maybe make one of them become involved in such dramatic scenario. It's a case where there's so many situations revolving them that it becomes exhaustive to care about everything.
Take Adams character. Single mom with a kid (Jason Spevack) facing behavorial issues, and that gets him thrown out of school and she quits her job as a typical cleaning lady after knowing from her lover (Zahn), a police officer, that cleaning crime scenes pays better. She and Emily go to such business, totally unprepared but they work hard and the money comes. With money, the idea was supposed to sent the kid to a proper school that could fit with the kid special needs. But what happens during the film's course? He never goes to any school and spends his time with his grandfather (Arkin), and always annoys everybody. Add to Adams the lover scenario, a married man who won't quit his charmed life with wife and kids; and her dreams of becoming a real estate agent; and deal with those unhappy accidents of life when you meet old school friends and see how their lives improved and yours didn't. The latter part is a tiring cliche that movies keep shoving down our throats for ages, and it does not happen (unless those reunion movies or smalltown stories, those are easy to believe).
I won't go with the Emily Blunt character cause there isn't much going on except that she fails each job she has, and helping her sister might not look a good idea at all, plus traumas from the past come to haunt her, and she develops an obsession with another woman (Rajskub), relative of a deceased person whose home she attended. By the time, we find that she has a boyfriend is totally out of the blue and random (Eric Christian Olsen plays him, obviously deleted from the film so he has two scenes only).
"Sunshine Cleaning" problem that almost kills everything is the excessive ammount of situations and problems the duo faces through the film, and it slowly becomes less funny and more depressive, and it's almost as if the laughter from it all come from cleaning blood or whatever from dirty, smelly houses, or the jokes where the kid is called a bastard.
But I was conquered with the film. A cast in complete tune with each other, and maybe it's 'hopeful for better days' theme also conquered me a big deal. As when you're in a bad scenario, one must find ways to improvise a way out, specially when it comes to provide for a family and work on fields you don't like.
And if there's a scene I like to remember the most is a lovely connection the sisters share when watching a bit part from her mother in a TV movie that they never seen before but knew she was in. Many film writers dream of writing something like that moment, that reveals not only the essence of movies on people's lives and how audiences can relate with it during times of their lives. A powerful and a cute scene, and if the film swings a lot and you may want to give it up, just watch that moment. 7/10.
And perhaps because of such turn I didn't like it as much as I hoped for, as you put together two great actresses in a comedy with some weird aspect, one easily expects something with thrills and huge nervous laughters, and not exactly a story that gets depressive as it moves to a past tragedy their characters dealt. A fine picture thanks to the charm of its cast (Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr., Mary Lynn Rajskub and Paul Dooley); the funny bits that are actually funny; the character development is also strong; and some special moments that makes of a little film an unforgettable experience (in a very great way).
It's not just the unused dark/creep aspect that failed to impress, as it could easily become a scenario of clueless girls becoming the target of competitors on the field (and the film plays a little with that, with Clifton's business partner), or maybe make one of them become involved in such dramatic scenario. It's a case where there's so many situations revolving them that it becomes exhaustive to care about everything.
Take Adams character. Single mom with a kid (Jason Spevack) facing behavorial issues, and that gets him thrown out of school and she quits her job as a typical cleaning lady after knowing from her lover (Zahn), a police officer, that cleaning crime scenes pays better. She and Emily go to such business, totally unprepared but they work hard and the money comes. With money, the idea was supposed to sent the kid to a proper school that could fit with the kid special needs. But what happens during the film's course? He never goes to any school and spends his time with his grandfather (Arkin), and always annoys everybody. Add to Adams the lover scenario, a married man who won't quit his charmed life with wife and kids; and her dreams of becoming a real estate agent; and deal with those unhappy accidents of life when you meet old school friends and see how their lives improved and yours didn't. The latter part is a tiring cliche that movies keep shoving down our throats for ages, and it does not happen (unless those reunion movies or smalltown stories, those are easy to believe).
I won't go with the Emily Blunt character cause there isn't much going on except that she fails each job she has, and helping her sister might not look a good idea at all, plus traumas from the past come to haunt her, and she develops an obsession with another woman (Rajskub), relative of a deceased person whose home she attended. By the time, we find that she has a boyfriend is totally out of the blue and random (Eric Christian Olsen plays him, obviously deleted from the film so he has two scenes only).
"Sunshine Cleaning" problem that almost kills everything is the excessive ammount of situations and problems the duo faces through the film, and it slowly becomes less funny and more depressive, and it's almost as if the laughter from it all come from cleaning blood or whatever from dirty, smelly houses, or the jokes where the kid is called a bastard.
But I was conquered with the film. A cast in complete tune with each other, and maybe it's 'hopeful for better days' theme also conquered me a big deal. As when you're in a bad scenario, one must find ways to improvise a way out, specially when it comes to provide for a family and work on fields you don't like.
And if there's a scene I like to remember the most is a lovely connection the sisters share when watching a bit part from her mother in a TV movie that they never seen before but knew she was in. Many film writers dream of writing something like that moment, that reveals not only the essence of movies on people's lives and how audiences can relate with it during times of their lives. A powerful and a cute scene, and if the film swings a lot and you may want to give it up, just watch that moment. 7/10.