Reviewed by Doug Cooper
Stars Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack,
Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins Jr, Paul Dooley,
Eric Christian Olsen, Kevin Chapman
Written by Megan Holley
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 91 minutes
Directed by Christine Jeffs
Though it's being marketed as a quirky effort in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine (Arkin plays a similar character - that of the crotchety but caring grandfather) Sunshine Cleaning never quite works. It has effective individual moments but never comes together as a whole satisfactorily.
Spirited performances by Adams and Blunt help, though they both look worryingly thin. They play siblings. Amy's the single mother struggling to make ends meet, Emily's the grungy younger sister with an attitude problem. Adam's lover, who's a cop (Zahn), tells her that she could make a fortune cleaning up crime scenes after the dead bodies have been taken away. So the two girls go into business together. They attend homes and hotels where suicides and murders have taken place and tidy up the blood and detritus after the police and ambulance services have removed the corpses.
There's ripe scope for comedy here but the movie never mines it. The attempts at humour seem half-hearted at best. No gags so few laughs are to be had. But comedy doesn't seem to be its prime agenda. Director Jeffs (who previously did Sylvia) seems more intent on exploring the sisterly dynamic - what makes the two girls tick, their love for and irritation with each other and finally the dark
tragedy from their youth that gives an insight into their complicated feelings. The two leads are excellent and give it their all, with first-rate support from Arkin, little Spevack, who's adorable as Adams' precocious son and Collins Jr as her hesitant one-armed new suitor. But the narrative lacks drive and drama. It's simply isn't compelling and fails to charm. Shame. as all the elements are in place. Ultimately though, this lame exercise misses the mark.