Sunlight Jr.

It's hard to really distinguish the very good indie flicks from the not-so-very-good ones, and that's because not many people see many of them, not many notices, not many reviews out there for others to see and make a judgment as to if they want to watch a certain flick because of reviews (or not). In that case, this film isn't bad, but I may not totally recommend it either. The performances are solid but nothing extraordinary, certainly not acting that would stand as some of the best of the year. Watts has done this certain thing before and better, and she has some iffy moments here. Matt Dillon may actually be stronger and more consistent, but yeah, not much stretch as an actor the role called for. It's not really "bad" though.

"We got a plan and we're taking care of our business, but it's been stressful." Melissa (Watts) is a convenience store clerk who lives in a motel with her paraplegic boyfriend Richie (Dillon). She hates her job and Richie is struggling with his troubles trying to take care of her. When Melissa finds out she is pregnant what starts out as extreme happiness begins to change. The troubles at her job and the motel begin to wear on them. This is a perfect example of a movie that is just OK but when you add great actors to them it makes it much better then it could have been. This is just another "how much worse can things get" type movie but because of Watts and Dillon you truly care about the characters and root for them against all odds. You feel for the struggles they go through and as the movie goes on you feel as beaten down as they do. This is not a happy movie at all but it does feel very real and that is the sign of a good movie, it makes you feel things emotionally. Overall, a movie that is worth seeing but very depressing and you feel like you have been emotionally beaten at the end of it, much like you feel after watching Precious. I give this a B.

Sunlight Jr. paints a gritty, depressing reality that is unfortunately possessed by many Americans today. Many Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, have little life-savings, plan for the week, not for the future, and have financial debt that cripples them. With the impact of the 2007-08 financial crisis in America still showing its ugly effects, it's stunning that only a handful of films about the decline in American prosperity have be detailed in films.

Every so often, a film like Sunlight Jr. comes along, a film with honesty, realism, and an emotional core that not only caters to a relevant issue but provides people with the thought that they're not alone in their struggles. This is obviously no solution to the problem, but it's almost comforting to note that someone share your struggles and have experienced the hardships you're going through. Sunlight Jr. is almost a film that allows you to lean on it, and as a familiar song goes, we all need someone - or something - like that.

The film focuses on Ritchie and Melissa (Matt Dillon and Naomi Watts, respectively), a Florida couple burdened by financial hardships. She is the breadwinner of the two, working at a convenient store for long hours with a disrespectful pervert of a boss. He worked as a carpenter before an injury confined him to a wheelchair and a disability check. Now, money is a rarity because once Melissa gets her paycheck, it is devoted to bills and very little luxuries.

Simultaneously wonderful and heartbreaking news comes through when Melissa discovers she's pregnant. They are thrilled, but worried all the more. Melissa must now work the graveyard shift at the store, a dangerous job for a young, attractive woman. Ritchie must live with the stress that he can't provide for the family due to his injury, all the while Melissa's obnoxious ex-boyfriend Justin (Norman Reedus) keeps coming back on the scene. He harasses her at her job, turns up to insult Ritchie, and makes her feel guilty for leaving him.

A film like this needs to get two aspects down to a tee and it's safe to say Sunlight Jr. does. The aspects are capable acting and writing along with an emphasis on realism through dialog and structure. Dillon and Watts accentuate true chemistry as a couple, most prominently when it comes to the way they discuss financial matters with one another. It also helps that both allow themselves to sink into the characters of two people living a financially-strapped life in America, whether it's Watts' Melissa coming into work late with messy hair and a wrinkled uniform or Ritchie slugging down Bud Light at the local tavern or with dinner, relieving the physical pain of his injury and the mental pain of his presumed worthlessness.

On the topic of the realistic dialog, writer-director Laurie Collyer never attempts to make the problems of Ritchie and Melissa overreaching or even transcend the line of unbelievable. The film is grounded in reality; there are no easy answers, no simple solutions, and no happy ending. The commentary the film subtly sneaks in is that the working class sector of America is a miserable sector to be in. Often there feels as if there is no hope, and that the only accomplishment from working long hours, aside from money which quickly disappears, is tiredness.

I've always had respect for people working lengthy hours at a retail job. Now, being a part of that demographic, I can't fathom doing this work for years on end, eventually making it my only source for cash. The scariest part about being young and working retail (or even being older in some cases) is that you're always replaceable. Somebody else can learn how to push buttons on a cash register, stock goods on a shelf, bag groceries, work a store's computer system, help a customer with a question, mop up at night, and lock up. Many retail jobs do not possess skills that people can't learn without school; all can be taught in a day-long orientation session and mastered in the matter of weeks.

This is the kind of workplace honesty Sunlight Jr. infuses in its writing. It's a difficult subject but Collyer doesn't sugarcoat it. Her depiction of the material at hand possibly hints she, herself, or her parents were actively part of the working class drudgery at one point in her life, seeing as she clearly knows the harsh realities of the situation her characters find themselves in.

One of the best films to detail with the impact of the crisis is The Company Men, centering around Ben Affleck, a man victim to corporate downsizing who is now questioning his value as a male when he suddenly can't afford all the luxuries he felt made him one. Sunlight Jr. makes itself more accessible to people in the position of not having much to start out with and then working their way to having more demands in their life, whereas The Company Man was more of an analysis of the male in general along with going from everything to significantly less. Sunlight Jr. is among one of the best dramas of the year, mainly because it not only takes itself seriously but knows the realities of its characters' situations, which is half the battle with films along this line.

Starring: Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon, and Norman Reedus. Directed by: Laurie Collyer.

This is Laurie Collyer's second outing as a writer and director (her debut was the excellent 'Sherrybaby' with Maggie Gyllenhaal) and it is sad to see that the film, despite some very impressive acting from a small cast, simply doesn't get off the ground.

Set in a rather smarmy location in Florida, Sunlight Jr. is a love story at odds with the times and with the conditions that surround the characters. Melissa (Naomi Watts) works the day shift at a convenience store called Sunlight Jr., managed by a repulsive toad named Edwin (Antoni Corone) and assisted at shift change by the funky Vivian (Adrienne Lovette). Melissa lives in a motel with her paraplegic, wheelchair-confined boyfriend Richie (Matt Dillon) whose only income is a disability check. The couple is in love and Melissa becomes pregnant. In the joy of the discovery Richie asks Melissa to marry him, but Melissa loses her job and they are evicted from the motel, they face difficult choices about life and their relationship. They attempt to live with Melissa's alcoholic mother (Tess Harper) who runs a foster home in her tiny house, but the stress overcomes both Melissa and Richie, and the added stalking from Melissa's previous boyfriend Justin (Norman Reedus) provides further stress. The manner in which the couple works things out provides the rest of the story.

Watts and Dillon offer memorable performances, even given the weak and clichéd script Collyer has written. It is a depressing film buoyed up by the inner resilience Watts and Dillon instill in their characters. We are left with the feeling that with the addition of more substance to the film, this may have actually worked. It does show how excellent actors can save a mediocre movie.

Grady Harp

Laurie Collyer brought the very best out of Maggie Gyllenhaal with her feature film debut of Sherrybaby (2006), a performance that stands as one of the best of that decade. When her follow-up Sunlight Jr, was announced last year, the anticipation naturally grew to its highest peak. Having sensational actors like Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon were promising to say the least. As good as the premise sounds on paper, Collyer loses focus of her characters and delivers an uneven film that doesn't stand next to her quiet sensation from 2006.

Telling the story of Melissa (Naomi Watts), a Quickie-mart employee that is desperate to elevate her quality of life for herself and her boyfriend Richie (Matt Dillon), that collects disability. Living in a motel room, and living off of her small hourly wage and Richie's income, the couple that are visibly in love find more to shoot for when Melissa learns she is pregnant. When her job and living situation are put in jeopardy, with the sudden appearance of her ex Justin (Norman Reedus from AMC's "The Walking Dead"), they will need to face things that their love may not be able to stand.

Any positives that are taken away from the film are anchored and profoundly guided by the performances of Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon. As Melissa, Watts exudes a sexy but deeply moving turn that is both contemporary and reminiscent of legendary leading ladies like Katharine Hepburn. Melissa is our heroine, ambitious and yearning for more. Unfortunately, Watts is bogged down by clichéd dialogue and often unwarranted behavior that fails to elevate the story arc. What shows Watts' talents as an actress, her abilities fight through all the script's obstacles and lands her victoriously on top of the film. Naomi Watts is incredible. What's more impressive than Watts is Matt Dillon who delivers his best performance since Paul Haggis' Crash (2005). Playing the sympathy of a man you are not supposed to love while displaying some gruesome behavior, Dillon gives almost a near terrifying turn that resonates. You expect the worse from Richie, some of those thoughts never come to fruition, but with the skill and power of Matt Dillon, he'll have you squirming in your chair. Matt Dillon may have topped his previous efforts for what he accomplishes in the film. The chemistry between Dillon and Watts are superb and it's almost a marriage made in heaven for two brilliant actors delivering two brilliant performances.

There's no real exploration of contemporary relationships that resonate for the viewer to be affected. As much as I appreciate the attempt by Collyer, unfocused narrative structures fail to emote the reactions I think she was going for. Where she takes the final moments are not earned nor do they feel like a normal progression to that train of thought given the events prior. Perhaps a deeper look into the relationship and the events leading would have offered more of a sensation however, at just over 90 minutes, there's not much room to move.

Sunlight Jr. has the heart in the right place but comes up short in many regards. It leaves you puzzled and doesn't give any real resolution for you to feel satisfied. For Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon alone, their raw and luscious skills as actors will be looked upon with high regard for years to come. Two dynamic, powerful performances!