Taken on its own terms, though, it's a solid indie effort with plenty of nice character strokes by screenwriter Megan Holley and razor-sharp performances by Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.
Comment
05/29/09
Sunshine Cleaning (2009)
74
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:23
Rotten:8
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Despite a sometimes overly familiar plot, Sunshine Cleaning benefits from the lively performances of its two stars.
Theatrical Release:Mar 13, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $12,033,702
Synopsis: From the producers of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE comes the charming Sundance hit SUNSHINE CLEANING, a spirited comedy-drama starring Amy Adams (DOUBT, ENCHANTED) as single-mom Rose Lorkowski, a plucky... [More]
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Reviews for Sunshine Cleaning
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/23/09
Top CriticSunshine Cleaning is one of those dependent independent films -- dependent on the need to be "quirky" yet "heartfelt" too, and as much a slave to the formulaic as any Hollywood product.
03/27/09
Top CriticAdams and Blunt rise above the clunky premise and execution to once again demonstrate why they've become the go-to girls for any director seeking smart, versatile and warm-blooded talent.
03/27/09
Top CriticSunshine Cleaning should have been a madcap comedy of the macabre, or a tangled yarn about the metaphorical biohazards of living life at the margins, but it shoots for the middle and ends up being just that: middling.
03/20/09
Top CriticSunshine Cleaning emerges as that rare American specimen -- a strong movie about women.
03/20/09
Top CriticThis one is scripted, directed and acted with grace and immaculate care.
03/20/09
Top CriticLifted by a trio of fine performances, Sunshine Cleaning thrives on the unexpected and revels in the low-key.
03/20/09
Top CriticCredit director Christine Jeffs and writer Megan Holley with revealing the sisters' pained back story ever so gently.
03/20/09
Top CriticThere should be a self-healing book for film performers titled "When Bad Scripts Happen to Good Actors." And the cast of Sunshine Cleaning should get a group discount.
03/19/09
Top CriticCertain narrative events in Sunshine Cleaning%u2014a fire, for one%u2014are more about dramatic convenience than the mess of real life. It helps to have actresses as vibrant as Adams and Blunt around.
03/19/09
Top CriticChristine Jeffs has assembled an accomplished cast for the dramedy from screenwriter Megan Holley. They are wonderful in a film that reverberates with the tensions and comic desperation of the similarly themed Little Miss Sunshine.
03/19/09
Top CriticIt's an honest little movie, well written by Megan Holley, well directed by Christine Jeffs, and very well played by Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as the sisters.
03/19/09
Top CriticAdams and Blunt are a great team and provide Sunshine Cleaning with nearly all of its potency, pain and emotional payoff, as sisters trying to avoid their own tragedy while cleaning up the mess of others.
03/19/09
Top CriticAt times, the movie works, but those are the times it (and even we) forget what it's really about.
03/19/09
Top CriticPerhaps the most compelling reason to see Sunshine Cleaning is the pairing of two of the best and most charismatic young actresses today.
03/18/09
Top CriticUltimately I left the film kind of feeling indifferent towards the characters on screen.
03/16/09
Top CriticI found this to be a really sweet, credible story -- it's emotional but rarely heavy-handed.
03/16/09
Top CriticThis bittersweet comedy is a fine showcase for a pair of distinctive and appealing talents.
03/13/09
Top CriticAlthough Adams and Blunt work hard at giving dimension to their characters, they can't overcome the fact that the story is essentially a greatest hits of family trauma.
03/13/09
Top CriticLatest News for Sunshine Cleaning
June 14, 2009:
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Much like McG's endless grey landscapes, it was a cold, bleak dawn at the Australian box-office this weekend for Terminator Salvation, as the sequel collapsed against the debut... More...
March 26, 2009:
The Amy Adams Sunshine Cleaning Insite Interview 
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March 15, 2009:
Bringing Death to Life for Sunshine Cleaning
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt clean up some pretty grisly stuff in the upcoming dark comedy "Sunshine Cleaning" -- but that was just for the cameras. The movie's biohazard... More...
March 12, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Race to Witch Mountain Doesn't Cast A Spell
This week at the movies, we've got a supernatural quest (Race to Witch Mountain, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb), a vengeance thriller (Last House on... More...
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