Reviews by Matt

What is it about an actor or actress that makes people want to watch them on film? I know in the case of my favorite actor, Nathan Fillion, it is because he oozes charisma, is great at what he does, and well…he was on “Firefly.” When it comes to picking a favorite actress, right now that honor goes to Amy Adams. She is, for lack of a better word, charming on screen. I will go see a movie purely based on her presence in the movie. So I’m sure you can tell how I felt about “Sunshine Cleaning”

Rose (Amy Adams) is a single mother living in the same small town she grew up in and is working as a maid to make ends meet for her and her son Oscar (Jason Spevack). Meanwhile her sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), is living at home with their father (Alan Arkin) and struggling to do anything right in the eyes of her sister. Spurred on by Mac (Steve Zahn), the married man she is sleeping with, she starts a crime scene cleaning business with her sister as they both figure out what they really want in life.

It would just be redundant if I said Amy Adams was charming in this movie so I will move on. She brings a sweetness to this role, the same as she has countless times before. I recently watched her in “Junebug” and Rose reminds me of her character in that. She is someone who has settled with what she has. She does her job, but does not seem to enjoy it. It is not until she starts her business that she takes pride is what she is doing. When meeting with a group of old friends she lights up when she mentions what she does. “We come into people’s lives when they have experienced something profound and we help.” To her she is more than a clean up crew. When they arrive at the home of an old woman who has just lost her husband she sits with her outside the house until the woman’s son comes to pick her up.

While there are some funny parts in this and it is billed as a comedy, it is more of a drama. There are some touching parts where we see both Rose and Norah struggling with a lot. Rose has to deal with her feelings of insecurities and her son, while Norah struggles to fit in, even within her own family.

“Sunshine Cleaning” is a good movie and has some great performances to go along with it. While it is not as funny as I was hoping, I was surprised at how poignant it was. It is definitely worth a watch.

8 out of 10
Rated R for language, disturbing images, some sexuality and drug use.
91 min