Sunshine Cleaning

Sunshine Cleaning follows a pair of squabbling sisters (Amy Adams’ Rose and Emily Blunt’s Norah) as they attempt to start up (and maintain) a crime-scene cleaning business, with the bulk of the proceedings subsequently following their efforts at dealing with a variety of work-related incidents and personal problems. Director Christine Jeffs has infused Sunshine Cleaning with a low-key, almost unassuming visual style that ideally complements Megan Holley’s subtle screenplay, yet there’s little doubt that it’s the uniformly stellar (and downright captivating) performances that prove instrumental in sustaining the viewer’s interest. Adams’ ingratiating work as the perpetually sunny Rose is effectively counterbalanced by Blunt’s turn as her sullen sibling, while there’s certainly no denying the exemplary efforts of the film’s periphery performers – with Clifton Collins Jr.’s sympathetic, flat-out engrossing stint as Rose’s one-armed benefactor (and potential suitor) Winston standing out amidst a supporting cast that includes Alan Arkin, Steven Zahn, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. The almost episodic nature of Holley’s script admittedly does ensure that certain sequences and subplots don’t fare as well as others (eg Norah’s ongoing encounters with Rajskub’s Lynn can’t help but come off as fairly needless in the big picture) and it’s ultimately clear that the movie could’ve benefited from some judicious pruning around its edges. The inclusion of several genuinely touching moments within the movie’s third act makes it simple enough to overlook such problems, however, and Sunshine Cleaning finally (and firmly) establishes itself as a charming and easy-going indie treat.

*** out of ****