Variety
Director Christine Jeffs, who previously helmed "Rain" and "Sylvia," tries to strike a balance between the yarn's dark currents and offbeat comedy, but the result is often uneasy, with the humor receding as things progress.
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Sunshine Cleaning
Kiwi director Christine Jeffs (Rain, Sylvia) makes her American debut with this comedy drama. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Sunshine Cleaning centres on Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams), once the high school cheerleading captain who dated the quaterback, now a thirty something single mother working as a maid. Her sister Norah (Emily Blunt), is still living at home with their dad Joe (the brilliant Alan Arkin), a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get-rich-quick schemes.
Desperate to get her son into a better school, Rose persuades Norah to go into the crime scene clean-up business with her to make some quick cash. In no time, the girls are up to their elbows in murders, suicides and other grisly situations.
2009Rating: R16, contains violence, sex scenes and suicide92 minsUSA
ComedyCrimeDrama
- Director:
- Christine Jeffs ('Sylvia', 'Rain')
- Writer:
- Megan Holley
- Cast:
- Amy AdamsEmily BluntAlan ArkinSteve ZahnJason SpevackMary Lynn Rajskub
Sunshine Cleaning / Reviews
Total Film
Sunshine Cleaning gets an A for Amy Adams. Injecting some heartfelt, three-dimensional zest into the wispy, two-dimensional story, she spares this copycat indie’s blushes and scores a winning combo with Blunt.
Full reviewThe New York Times
All in all, it's a mess, and much as Ms. Blunt pouts, Ms. Adams twinkles, and Mr. Arkin growls, there's nothing they can do to clean it up.
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Roger Ebert
The material might have promise as a black comedy, but its attempt to put on a smiling face is unconvincing.
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Otago Daily Times
With Arkin's cantankerous fatherly presence casting a shadow over proceedings, it's a cinematic crime to let Sunshine Cleaning languish in unsatisfactory-ending land, but that is precisely what happens.
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New Zealand Herald
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are a winning combination, taking commercial cleaning to a whole new level.
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Los Angeles Times
A smartly done morality tale that couldn't be more in sync with these troubled times.
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Hollywood Reporter
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are two highly attractive, naturally funny actresses on the cusp of stardom so their pairing here as two lost souls is genius.
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Empire Magazine
Could have been a little more darkly comic in places but the performances are superb.
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Dominion Post
Kiwi director Christine Jeffs (Rain, Sylvia) has crafted a film that is touching, original and, yes, funny.
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