Sunshine Cleaning (DVD)

A man walks into a gun shop and blows his brains out. Nope, this is not a really bad joke coming up from yours truly but the opening and pretext for this well made independent from America. The interest for me here for the rental was the cast. It stars our very own up and coming young beauty Emily Blunt, her 13th movie in just four years no less, a very talented and clearly busy actress. She premiered on the big screen here as the promiscuous Mona in My Summer of Love (2003), which was a bit of a risk if the truth be told as she played a bisexual tomboy from Yorkshire, but an interesting little film all the less, and had great notices this year for Young Victoria, going ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room Sunshine Cleaning bears an unmistakable resemblance to the Oscar nominated indie success Little Miss Sunshine, from the darkly comic look at life, right down to the casting of Alan Arkin yet again as a quirky old man that's sagely honest. Nevertheless, this is quite a fun little yarn if you don't set your standards too high, although it's difficult to give it a thorough recommendation because it just doesn't go far enough in any direction. The film's protagonist is Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams), who spends her work life cleaning toilets for a living, while trying to amass enough money to send ...  Read the complete review

This low budget indie film is a refreshing change from the overblown and overloud blockbusters that have rampaged through the cinemas recently. Although the plot doesn't sound all that exciting at first glance, it's the stellar cast that makes it quality viewing. Amy Adams, fresh from her zeisty performance as Amelia Earheart in Night at the Museum 2, plays the part of Rose Lorkowski, a single mom struggling to raise the money to get her son Oscar (Jason Spevack) into a private school. Formerly a popular high school cheerleader, her life hasn't turned out as sunny as she had hoped. She's working for a cleaning agency cleaning houses, and meeting her her ...  Read the complete review

There's something about independent films that is alluring. You can guarantee the special effects and location work will be minimal, as will the editing and all round look of the film, but that makes way for the raw talent of a story and the actors to come through. With an independent film, there's nothing to hide behind: it has to be good. Sunshine Cleaning follows the life of a dysfunctional family barely surviving to get by. When Rose Lorkowski happens upon the news that you can make thousands of dollars for cleaning up crime-scenes, she jumps onboard. With her unreliable sister, the two women start up a cleaning round with a difference. For example, a man ...  Read the complete review

Directed by Christine Jeffs, SUNSHINE CLEANING is a comedy movie. The film centres on Amy Adams' character Rose who is a single mother desperate to earn alot of money for her talented son Oscar played by Jason Spevack to attend a good school. On the advice of her lover Mac played by Steve Zahn, Rose sets up her own company which specialises in cleaning up places after crimes. Realising that she will need help running her business she calls upon her sister, Norah played by Emily Blunt. The two sisters have had a poor relationship since their mother commited suicide and this career gives them an opportunity to bond. From here the film focuses on the success of ...  Read the complete review