This movie is a study in mediocrity. This is what American indie has become. I am not very fond with the American indie movie scene at the moment. It has become about folksiness, and "this is your life" situations. What it hasn't realized is that Hallmark movies have been doing this since forever, and it has never been very good. So indie movies think they can quirk it up a little and put the indie label on it, and it'll fly. And for the most part it does.
That is Sunshine Cleaning. A single mother (Amy Adams) raising her son (Jason Spevack) in Albuquerque turns to cleaning up crime scenes with her screw-up of a sister (Emily Blunt). And they have a dad who's always up for get rich quick schemes (Alan Arkin). Doesn't it sound like every movie ever?
And it basically is. I must admit, there is not much exceedingly good in the movie. The highlight is Clifton Collins Jr.'s acting. He makes a one-armed, mustachioed industrial cleaning vendor very likable, and the parts involving him and Amy Adams are wonderful. Because Adams is also acting wonderfully, as always, in her best role as the always happy heroine..
It's the small things in this movie that frustrate. Like how the kid works as the balance in the movie. When it gets to heavy, he says, "I want a sandwich." When it gets too light, he asks, "What happens when we die." And we're supposed to go, "Oh, kids say the darndest things," but it's hard to excuse. Or the half-hearted attempts at actual jokes. Or how the screw-up sister screws up. Or how all the people are exactly like you think they are, just typecasts. How the movie leaves loose plot strings all over the place.
Little Miss Sunshine got it right. It explored the darkness and the levity. It was happy. It too had a quirky family going on a roadtrip. It started in Albaquerque. It was indie. It had all the same elements, and yet, worked. It worked because it was on the move. Because it knew it was a comedy with dramatic elements. Because it had a focus and solid characters. Characters that worked on their own, that weren't symbols, but their own entities. That's what Little Miss Sunshine had, and what Sunshine Cleaning lacks.
But it's made capably enough. It's not terrible. Many people like it. And if you want to relate to typical suffering in the world, but not feel too bad, it's probably a good one for you. It's a movie that won't challenge you in any way, and it's a departure from mainstream cinema. So whatever. Sunshine Cleaning is a bust.
That is Sunshine Cleaning. A single mother (Amy Adams) raising her son (Jason Spevack) in Albuquerque turns to cleaning up crime scenes with her screw-up of a sister (Emily Blunt). And they have a dad who's always up for get rich quick schemes (Alan Arkin). Doesn't it sound like every movie ever?
And it basically is. I must admit, there is not much exceedingly good in the movie. The highlight is Clifton Collins Jr.'s acting. He makes a one-armed, mustachioed industrial cleaning vendor very likable, and the parts involving him and Amy Adams are wonderful. Because Adams is also acting wonderfully, as always, in her best role as the always happy heroine..
It's the small things in this movie that frustrate. Like how the kid works as the balance in the movie. When it gets to heavy, he says, "I want a sandwich." When it gets too light, he asks, "What happens when we die." And we're supposed to go, "Oh, kids say the darndest things," but it's hard to excuse. Or the half-hearted attempts at actual jokes. Or how the screw-up sister screws up. Or how all the people are exactly like you think they are, just typecasts. How the movie leaves loose plot strings all over the place.
Little Miss Sunshine got it right. It explored the darkness and the levity. It was happy. It too had a quirky family going on a roadtrip. It started in Albaquerque. It was indie. It had all the same elements, and yet, worked. It worked because it was on the move. Because it knew it was a comedy with dramatic elements. Because it had a focus and solid characters. Characters that worked on their own, that weren't symbols, but their own entities. That's what Little Miss Sunshine had, and what Sunshine Cleaning lacks.
But it's made capably enough. It's not terrible. Many people like it. And if you want to relate to typical suffering in the world, but not feel too bad, it's probably a good one for you. It's a movie that won't challenge you in any way, and it's a departure from mainstream cinema. So whatever. Sunshine Cleaning is a bust.