filmwatcher2002

I had no preconceptions about Sunshine Cleaning - I decided to watch in on a whim on TV, based on the strength of the cast and its quirky plot description. I remain convinced that is the best way to see any film. Sunshine Cleaning is the kind of film I like best - an original plot, it made me think, and made me care about what happened to the obviously less-than-perfect main characters.

Once you get over the premise that anyone who looks as good as these two actresses and isn't a drug addict or drunk would be toiling away desperately in loser jobs in their late 20s, you can enjoy the interesting script, which follows two sisters in their stumbling efforts to start a business cleaning up after crimes and bio-hazards. The men are the ones to really watch in this film: the dad, played with the perfect combination of resignation, world weariness and indefatigable optimism by Alan Arkin; Winston, the one-armed cleaning supply store owner, beautifully and subtlety played by an actor I've never seen before, but will certainly watch for now, Clifton Collins Jr.; and little son Oscar, beautifully portrayed by a young actor named Jason Spevack. Kids in movies are either great or annoying, and this young man is a natural.

This film is full of touching small moments that add up to a whole. It doesn't hit you over the head with an overly dramatic plot or life-changing events - well, there is a fire scene that is sort of cathartic, but that's it - but it leaves the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions.

Characters are flawed - the "good" sister is having an affair with a married cop; the "bad" sister shows touching concern for the crime victims and their hidden lives and loved ones; the ne'er-do-well dad is ultimately shown to be just another struggling parent who would do anything for his kids, his entire life - but this is something the viewer can relate to. It's a quiet film, and one best viewed without expectations. Just enjoy it as it unfolds and don't expect anything grand or preachy. I watched it with my husband and teenage daughter, and we all agreed it was worthwhile.

I caught this in the U.S. on Ovation (DVR-ing it to skip the gazillion adverts), and was charmed by its funny and original premise: a modern single London girl who loves P&P - and who is far more attracted to Darcy than to her somewhat loutish boyfriend - finds herself dumped smack into the novel's first chapter, courtesy of Elizabeth Bennett herself, who has provided a door into Regency England through Amanda's shower wall.

What lover of P&P hasn't secretly yearned to be a part of its world, at least once? The contrast between Amanda's preconceptions of the book's characters and their flesh and blood counterparts was the funniest aspect of this series - the fish-out-of-water premise, while amusing, could only go so far (the best line in that vein is Amanda explaining her modern clothing: "This is my otter hunting kit.") Amanda's interaction with the characters she thinks she knows so well proves continually surprising, both to her and us. Her modern sensibility and outspokenness causes not a few problems as the plot line becomes severely altered from Austen's original.

Amanda slowly comes to realize that perhaps following Austen's familiar destiny is not the only possibility open to her in this strange yet familiar landscape. And her gradual realization of her surprising fate is a joy to watch unfold.

Have no preconceptions about this series, except to enjoy it as a very good time. It's not drippy or gooey like obsessive fan-fiction, and even manages to weave in the modern female obsession with Colin Firth's Darcy (complete with homage to the wet shirt scene!) with an affectionate wink.

Can't wait to see the U.S. DVD in the spring!