9.06.2009

Sunshine Cleaning: Too Much Sunshine, Not Enough Cleaning.


My rating: 3 1/2 stars

I wanted to see this in the theatre, but didn't get a chance. Oh, well. Renting is just as tolerable, if not cheaper. Anyway, what I found in this little indie number was, well, a little indie number. It really didn't have anything surprising about it. In fact, it may as well be titled "The Little Indie That Tried to Go Hollywood." Part of the wonderful quality of independent film is the "anything goes" opportunity. People don't expect a Hollywood ending. Which is why I was a little bit disappointed in this film, because they had this brilliant and creative plot opportunity and made it conventional. You could tell who was going to learn what lesson, who would end up happy, blah blah blah. It's just that it was a bit boring after a while.

Don't get me wrong- I really enjoyed this feature. I thought it had some unusual laughs, and the plot was entertaining for the most part. I simply think they used too many cliches- the absent mother, father who's hung up on her death (after 30 years +), the older sister caring for the younger sister, using the crime-scene business to stir up memories of the mother's death (which happen frequently throughout the movie)... See what I mean? It seems to me that these are family issues that have been around in movies for years. Years. There are endless possibilities. Couldn't they have been more creative?

I also expected them to focus more on the business itself. There was a scene with a lot of blood, and there was a scene with a horrid stench, but... that was it. I expected more gruesomeness out of a movie where they clean crime scenes, for goodness' sake. I mean, write in a scene where the girls have to be creative at finding a way to clean. Write a scene with shit all over the ceiling. I know- you're already asking, "How would that get there....?" That's what would make the survival of their business believable. We see in the movie their advertisements and referrals, and reviews of how good a job they're performing, but we hardly ever see them do the job. Call me sadistic, but I wanted more blood out of a movie focusing on crime.

Overall, I would say this is a pretty good movie that I would have liked better if I hadn't known what it was about beforehand or if I hadn't seen the trailer. Here I was, all excited that finally some indie feature has a story that no one has done before... oh wait, never mind. If I could go back and watch this without having read or heard anything about it, I would. Because then, I wouldn't have been let down. Go see for yourself. You'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Peace!

The Movie Mistress

1 comment:

  1. It definitely needed a little more gore to drive the nature of their business home. I loved the performances the ladies gave, but the problem I had was that not all the plotlines were resolved.

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