Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

I just want to start this out by saying that Amy Adams should win every award that can be given in the field of acting – best supporting actor and best actor included – because this woman is amazing in everything I’ve ever seen her in. She’s beautiful, talented and just generally awesome.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way, Amy Adams is just one of the incredible performers that make up the cast of Sunshine Cleaning. Little Jason Spevack is adorable as Ocsar and Alan Arkin is brilliant as family patriarch and perennial screw up, Joe. Emily Blunt (whom I first fell in love with as Emily in The Devil Wears Prada)… what can I even say about Emily Blunt. Her performance as Norah in this movie is absolutely heartbreaking.

I had some problems with Sunshine Cleaning – namely the ending. Sometimes a more open, unresolved ending works, but I felt there needed to be more here. I wanted to know what happened with Rose, Amy Adam’s character, and the one armed model builder Winston. Surely it was love? Am I wrong here?

Aside from the unsatisfying ending, Sunshine Cleaning may have been one of my favorite movies this year. Just a word of warning though, considering the premise of the movie (two sisters need money and start a bio-hazard removal service, which basically means they ‘clean up’ crime scenes etc, after the body has been removed) there is a fair bit of blood. If you have a weak stomach you might have a hard time with this one.

Sunshine Cleaning is full of humor, real human emotions and a healthy dose of family drama. When Norah and Rose arrive to clean up after an elderly woman’s husband commits suicide, I dare you not to at least tear up a little over the interaction between Rose and the widow. Beautiful.