'Sunshine Cleaning' review

Moving on is a dirty job, but Amy Adams can do anything

By Matt Pais

Posted March 12, 2009

Metromix

Cleaning up violent crime scenes? Like, eww. But it's a lucrative opportunity for Rose (Amy Adams), a former head cheerleader who's now working as a maid, taking care of her trouble-making son, Oscar (Jason Spevack), and sleeping with her ex-boyfriend, Mac (Steve Zahn), who married someone else. Co-starring Emily Blunt as Rose's ne'er-do-well sister Norah and Alan Arkin as the girls' widower father Joe, who pursues half-witted business opportunities like selling popcorn and shrimp (though, oddly enough, not popcorn shrimp).

The buzz: It's tough to name two young actresses whose performances are more reliable than Adams and Blunt. Plus, the presence of welcome wild cards Arkin and Zahn fights the sense that this dramedy could fade into the forgotten abyss of so many other morbid yet inevitably life-affirming Sundance premiere indies.

The verdict: Adams is simply extraordinary, turning every moment into a highly affecting tug-of-war between the past and the future. The movie can't resist various indie clichés (Joe's strange pastimes, Oscar's habit of licking things) and ends abruptly. Yet that feels strangely right; "Sunshine" is ultimately about the quick changes that happen when people take ownership of the sadness they've always carried, and believe they deserve something better.

Did you know? Joe tells his grandson that if you're often bored and spend a lot of time looking out the window, it just means you're extra intelligent. Tell that to your boss the next time you're caught focusing on anything but your actual responsibilities.