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11/06/02
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Sunshine State (2002)
79
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:22
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: Wonderfully acted, but the story and pacing can use a little work.
Theatrical Release:Jun 21, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $2,836,157
Synopsis: Welcome to Delorna Beach and the 2nd Annual Buccaneer Days! Take a trip! Take a drive! See Florida Today! Oceanfront motels. T-shirt shops. Golf courses. Palm trees. Sandy beaches. Condominiums.... [More]
Starring: Edie Falco, Angela Bassett, Jane Alexander, Ralph Waite
Director: John Sayles
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Reviews for Sunshine State
Top CriticSunshine State resembles Sayles' sketchbook more than his finished work, and we might hope that something more polished might spring from it.
08/09/02
Top CriticSunshine State has the structure, the theme, the style and, at 141 minutes, the length of a great John Sayles film. What it doesn't have, alas, is the merit.
08/09/02
Top CriticSunshine State is an efficient helping of Sayles, insightful even when it's not richly entertaining or imbued with apparent passion.
08/09/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
08/02/02
Top CriticSunshine State lacks the brilliance of Sayles' most dynamic offerings, but, for those who don't mind an unhurried, deliberate narrative pace, this is a worthwhile offering.
07/25/02
Top CriticYou can ignore the editorial bluntness and savor the smaller, sweeter details.
07/12/02
Top CriticA densely layered, always absorbing whole.
07/12/02
Top CriticSayles' movies lack the fluidity and grace of Altman at his best, but his 'big statement' films -- and this is one -- demand our attention.
07/12/02
Top CriticCount on his movie to work at the back of your neck long after you leave the theater.
07/12/02
Top CriticAt times, Sayles seems to be trying to wrangle an ornery alligator. But there are few filmmakers better at rendering the political personal.
07/12/02
Top CriticSunshine State is a fine example of a carefully written film. But you shouldn't be too aware that a movie is well-written.
07/12/02
Top CriticBecause we are so familiar with the conventional approach to a story like this, it takes time to catch on that Sayles is not repeating the old progressive line about the little guy against big capital.
07/12/02
Top CriticThe cast is uniformly excellent and relaxed.
07/11/02
Top CriticRings true for the most part, and explores human nature -- leashed and unleashed -- in ways that resonate.
07/11/02
Top CriticIt's the kind of movie that, aside from Robert Altman, Spike Lee, the Coen Brothers and a few others, our moviemakers don't make often enough.
07/11/02
Top CriticSunshine State surveys the landscape and assesses the issues with a clear passion for sociology. But the cinematography is cloudy, the picture making becalmed.
07/02/02
Top CriticWriter-director John Sayles is too intelligent and too conscientious ever to make a frivolous movie. But he has made a lifeless one with Sunshine State.
06/28/02
Top CriticNeither the acting nor the script elevates the film above a ham-fisted morality play dripping with earnestness.
06/28/02
Top CriticSunshine State is one of the strongest efforts yet in the prolific career of writer/director John Sayles.
06/25/02
Top CriticLatest News for Sunshine State
June 23, 2005:
Production Wraps on Roth's "Freedomland"
Revolution Studios issued a press release that ComingSoon.net was kind enough to publicize, and here's the scoop: The Joe Roth mystery thriller "Freedlomland," which... More...
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