by MS C

Created on: May 17, 2009

Although released in the United States in 2008, the movie Sunshine Cleaning came to theatres in Canada in 2009. However it was only a very limited release and didn't last in theatres long. I believe the only reason that Sunshine Cleaning actually made it to the theatres was because of the cast; Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, and Steve Zahn; although each of those three have made some very crappy straight-to-dvd movies. However, the movie plot - in a very simplified version is that of a cleaning lady, single mother (Adams) who is having an affair with a police detective who can't pay her bills - so her boyfriend (Zahn) suggests she open up a Crime Scene Investigation Clean Up service; because the money is good. So she (Adams) teams up with her sister (Blunt) and opens up a service called Sunshine Cleaning. The plot is really a coming-of-age story mixed in with a fair bit of comedy.

I was really enjoying Sunshine Cleaning the entire way through because I love a good dark comedy/ It was very funny, and very charming and also a coming of age story which seemed to sit well with the audience who I saw it with. I thought the entire plot was simple yet unique in itself and definitely a great execution. We've all seen underdog movies where a poor girl (or guy) has to make ends meet so they start something new and it goes for a long time, then something messes up, but at the end they get on the right track again. It's the typical movie plot for any romantic movie, drama movie or comedy movie - but this movie surprisingly took the typical plot and made it very watchable and enjoyable.

The only criticism I had when I left the theatre was that the movie ended so abruptly - there didn't seem to be any resolution. It wasn't until the ride home after teh movie that I got to thinking about the ending. Sometimes life is like that. Sometimes in life there are no resolutions. And I think that's what was so unique about the movie; because the coming-of-age story centered around the topic of life and death and sometimes life doesn't go the way we want it to. Sometimes it ends too quickly, sometimes it goes on too long, and sometimes there is just no resolution; or if there is some resolutions are so choppy and broken that they hurt more than if there hadn't been a resolution. So the whole idea of finishing the story with minimal resolution actually helped me enjoy the movie more in hindsight.

It's a movie that should appeal to the masses because of it's ending; which seems disappointing at first; however when stopped to reflect on it feels very satisfactory. And that's how I left after the movie. Feeling satisfied.

It's the undiscovered movie of 2009 and a definite must see. I loved it. A solid 4 stars out of 5.

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