100 Movies - No. 85: Sunshine Cleaning

85. Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
Comedy, Drama, 91 minutes
Directed by Christine Jeffs
Starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin

Sunshine Cleaning has a lot of amusing moments, but it's not the kind of comedy that tries to make you laugh with every line of dialogue or in every situation. Indeed, some of the subject matter is quite dark.

Rose Lorkowski (Adams) is a single mother. She's good at getting men to want her, but most don't want to date her or enter into any kind of permanent relationship. She's having an affair with a local cop, Mac (Steve Zahn), but it's clear to us that he has no intention of leaving his pregnant wife. Rose is nothing more than a diversion for him and he's not emotionally invested in the relationship.

Rose makes ends meet by working as a maid, but she's hoping to better herself. Mac finds himself investigating a suicide and discovers that it costs around $3,000 to clear up the mess. He suggests to Rose that it would be a lucrative line of work so she decides to give it a try. Rose recruits her sister, Norah (Blunt), and the two buy a van and open a business. Unfortunately, they don't have the required knowledge to do their job safely and within the law. They also don't have any kind of insurance.

The two quickly learn and are helped by the owner of a local store who explains what equipment to buy and how to become certified. Rose's life starts to improve.

The other main character is Joe (Arkin), the girls' father. He means well and is always promising his grandson trips and presents, but he rarely delivers. He reminds me of my grandfather in some ways and is always looking for some kind of scheme to earn money. One such scheme involves selling shrimp to local restaurants, but he's stuck with them when the restaurant owners refuse to buy for health reasons.

This is a quiet film with some good observations on life. One sequence shows Rose desperately trying to fit in with women she knew in school. Why is it important to her that she looks good in front of them? The film doesn't try to make Rose and Norah glamorous. They are portrayed as normal people with flaws and problems to overcome. Both actresses are likable and their relationship feels authentic. Rose has been looking after Norah since their mother died.

There's quite a lot of depth to the film at times. Rose realizes that the job sometimes involves becoming a part of people's lives for a brief period. There's a particularly touching scene in which she comforts a confused old woman who has just found out that her husband is dead. This is the kind of film that can make you reflect on sad situations and then make you laugh a minute later.

The casting is an important ingredient. Adams and Blunt have good chemistry and Arkin holds everything together. While his character often seems clueless, there's a lot more to him. He clearly cares about his daughters and does his best to be a positive force in their lives.

The film also challenges our definition of success. Is career success more important than family or romantic relationships? Does it matter how you make a living if you take care of yourself and the people who are close to you? Should we try and conform to society's definition of success?

Adams sometimes accepts questionable roles, but she is talented and can shine in the right part. I was particularly impressed with her supporting role in Doubt, and she shows here that she has a lot to offer as a dramatic actress as well as in lighter roles.

If you like Sunshine Cleaning:

This kind of quirky comedy appeals to me. If it's your kind of thing, consider Little Miss Sunshine. Arkin is involved once more and won an Oscar for his performance. It also stars Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell and Toni Collette. Although the word "sunshine" is present in both titles, the two films are not otherwise related.

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The Fighter: More drama outside the ring than in

The Fighter (biography, drama, sport)

Directed by David O. Russell

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams

Paramount Pictures | 2010 | 116 min | Rated R | Released Mar 15, 2011

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Audio:

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Discs:

50GB Blu-ray Disc

Digital copy (on disc)

DVD copy

The Film 4/5

It’s not easy to make a movie about boxing. The fights have to look realistic and there’s the problem of the plot.

Rocky won three Oscars and tells the story of an underdog who overcomes the odds. That’s the obvious feel-good storyline that will suck in most viewers. Then there’s Scorsese’s Raging Bull, with two Oscars, which some regard as the best movie of the 80s. Clint Eastwood bravely showed the dangers of boxing in Million Dollar Baby and the movie scooped four Oscars.

So there’s clearly plenty of interest in boxing among moviegoers. Is The Fighter in the same league as the three boxing movies mentioned above? What could it possibly do that hadn’t been done before? The Academy liked it, nominating it in seven categories and awarding Oscars to supporting actors Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, but why should you watch it?

Like Raging Bull, The Fighter portrays real events, showing the lives of brothers Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Bale). The movie also has strong characterization. This is not a story focusing on boxing; it’s a story about how the dynamic in Micky’s family influences his career.

Early in the movie, we get a feel for how things will develop. Dicky is the focus of attention and completely overshadows Micky in every situation. Alice (Leo), their mother, clearly favors Dicky. She barely acknowledges anything that Micky says. The family group is completed by Micky’s sisters who always seem to be shouting and trying to attract attention. The result is utter chaos when the whole family appears together on-screen. Instead of shouting even louder to make himself heard above the din, Micky tends to keep quiet. I adopt the same strategy when I’m in a room full of people that don’t have any interest in what I’m thinking.

Dicky is famous in Lowell, Mass. for once knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard, but at 40, his dreams of a comeback have little chance to become a reality. He spends his time smoking crack and is unreliable. He’s supposed to be training Micky, but often fails to show. Dicky and Alice arrange Micky's fights and match him with an opponent who is 20 pounds heavier. Micky takes a beating and loses his fourth fight in a row.

Micky’s fortunes improve when he dates Charlene (Adams), who works in his local bar. She’s intelligent, brutally honest, and actually seems to care about what he thinks. Micky’s family hates her, but she’s strong and stands up to their abuse. When Dicky is arrested and jailed, Charlene persuades Micky to work with a new manager. He is matched against weaker opponents and starts to win. His career quickly improves and he is given the chance to face tougher opponents for more money.

It’s here that the movie starts to show real character development. Micky’s confidence grows and he starts making more of his own decisions. Alice vows to be a better mother. The biggest change of all concerns Dicky. Prison changes him and he avoids drugs and starts to train. He wants to leave prison a better man and be a positive influence on Micky’s life. There’s a huge power struggle when he’s eventually released.

All of the main actors turn in good performances. Wahlberg trained four years for the part because the movie was continually delayed. Bale portrays Dicky well and it’s hard to argue with his Oscar win (although Geoffrey Rush gave a great performance in The King’s Speech). Leo was annoying throughout, but that’s the whole point. Her character was supposed to be the main cause of conflict. Adams did well with her limited role, but it was too small to merit serious Oscar consideration. She’ll have better roles than this.

The boxing scenes look real and were filmed using HBO crews. Although he didn’t say much, Wahlberg looked like a boxer.

What is the movie really saying? Is it showing us that it’s never too late to change? Is it asking us to question choices between career, family and romantic partners? Is it saying that you should never give up on your dreams? It touches on many themes.

Video Quality 4.5/5

The transfer is strong in every department, displaying the gritty world of The Fighter accurately. Detail is good and colors look natural. This is a drab world, but it seems full of life. Take a look at bricks or clothing and it’s easy to see intricate details.

Audio Quality 4.5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix matches the picture quality. Some of the song choices were inspired and I particularly enjoyed hearing The Breeders’ Saints included on the track. All of the songs sound strong and affect the mood. This is a noisy movie, whether it’s a family argument, a bar scene, a street brawl or action in the ring. The surrounds will get a good workout and place you right in the middle of the action.

Special Features 3/5

The extras are all presented in full high definition:

Commentary – Director David O. Russell gives his thoughts on the movie and the reason behind some of the choices.

The Warriors Code: Filming The Fighter (29:57) – A good “making of” feature.

Keeping the Faith (8:33) – The real Ward and Eklund families talk about boxing.

Deleted Scenes (16:53) – With optional commentary.

Theatrical Trailer (2:32)

DVD (with digital copy)

The Fighter isn’t an easy movie to watch. That’s not because it is bad; it’s a reflection on the subject matter. It would be hard to exist within such a chaotic family unit and it’s actually painful to experience at times. The setting is drab and gritty and it’s not a particularly pleasant journey. That’s all intentional and is a compliment, but it’s not exactly fun to experience. If you like drama, character development and boxing, you’ll love The Fighter. If you just want boxing action, there are a few better options. Russell has crafted a good film worthy of its Best Picture nomination.

Overall score 4/5

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