Sunshine Cleaning (Review), reviewed by Anders Wotzke on 2009-05-21T16:06:41+00:00 rating 4.0 out of 5

Death can be a messy business, but for those paid to clean it up, it can also be a lucrative one. Sunshine Cleaning, the name of Amy Adams and Emily Blunt’s crime scene clean-up business in the film of the same name, aims to put a  light-hearted spin on the morbid profession. Not only does this work on their clientele, it surprisingly works on the audience too. Driven by top-tier performances from Adams and Blunt, Sunshine Cleaning is a charming dramedy that lifts the dirt on life and death.

Once a popular high school cheerleader, thirty-something Rose (Adams) is sick of being the maid that cleans up after the more successful. She barely has enough money to pay her troubled younger sister Norah (Blunt) to baby-sit her son Oscar (Jason Spevack) whilst she goes to “class” in a motel room with her high-school sweetheart Mac (Steve Zahn), who is now married with a second kid on the way. When Mac, a police detective, hints that their is good money in cleaning up crime scenes, Rose and her unemployed sister start up their own biohazard removal business. As they grow accustomed to the unglamorous sights and smells of death, the sisters start to see life in a whole new light, coming to terms with their mother’s suicide during their childhood.

Penned by first time screenwriter Megan Holly, Sunshine Cleaning overcomes its typical narrative structure with thoughtful direction and delightfully human characters. Without being too unrealistic, New Zealand director Christine Jeffs (Sylvia, Rain) doesn’t let the gruesomeness of the profession take the focus away from the characters propelling the story forward, ultimately invoking heartfelt smiles rather than consistent laughs. The sisters manage to make light of death; Rose takes pride in her line of work because it allows her to help others, in some small form, during a time they need it most.  Amy Adams captures the sincerity of Rose superbly, her delicate smile possessing the power to brighten up any room (or crime scene for that matter).  More complex a character is Rose’s  alternative sister Norah,  tactfully portrayed by Emily Blunt, who visibly wears the scars of her mother’s suicide.

While Rose and Norah’s relationship sits central to the film, it is elsewhere that their characters are truly developed. Norah finds unlikely solace in Lynn, the daughter of the deceased woman they “cleaned up” after, who is unaware of her mothers passing. Meanwhile, Rose finds comfort in the cleaning supplies  store owner Winston (a delightful Clifton Collins Jr.), who despite having only one arm, still maintains a hobby in model building. It is here where Sunshine Cleaning reaches the peak of its intrigue, exploring the unique dynamics of these budding friendships, making it all the more unfortunate that neither are given a satisfying resolve during the films ever familiar conclusion.

It’s a reminder that if the characters weren’t as endearing as they are, Sunshine Cleaning would have ultimately been remembered for its conventional plotting and intermittent laughs. Yet thanks to these infectiously likeable characters and a sincere look  at the role death plays in life, the film shines brightly instead.

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