Sunshine Cleaning will be one of those movies that garners a wide cult following in the years after it was released. This is due to the fact that a star-studded cast, which includes Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, and Amy Adams, bond together to make a cogent and coherent film. Rose (Adams) and Norah (Blunt) are crime-scene cleaners attempting to make a name for themselves, as well as giving some sort of solid life to Rose’s son, Oscar (Jason Spevack). Raising money to place Oscar in a private school, there seems to be a sort of camaraderie present between the generations of the family that works well with the comedy bits present.
To ensure that they create a name for themselves, they have entered into a position with their father (Arkin), a salesman, to become the leaders of their field. Where there are a number of humorous scenes present in this film, director Christine Jeffs is able to imbue Sunshine Cleaning with a heart-touching quality that will stick with viewers well after the film ends. The film itself is solid enough on its own, but I feel that the featurettes that Anchor Bay have provided here are some of the strongest that I have seen on DVD lately.
This means that there is an audio commentary that taps the skills of producer Glenn Williamson and writer Megan Holley, giving viewers a tremendous amount of backstory that would not normally be present when one would casually watch Sunshine Cleaning. For the videophiles that may be looking into this DVD, widescreen and full-frame versions of Sunshine Cleaning are here, while “A Fresh Look at a Dirty Business†showcases the serious side of Rose and Norah’s occupation. The vein in which Sunshine Cleaning operates is similar to that of Monk and Arrested Development, operating on a number of distinct levels and ensuring that any fan of cinema will have something in which they can sink their teeth. Keep an eye on Big Beach films as well; with Sunshine Cleaning and Away We Go under their belts the last few months, one has to think that 2010 will be a bumper year.
Rating: 8.8/10
Sunshine Cleaning (DVD) / 2009 Anchor Bay / 91 Minutes / http://www.anchorbayent.com / http://www.sunshinecleaning-themovie.com