“Sunshine Cleaning” is a dark comedy that explores the depths of life and death through a tale of two sisters in their entrepreneurial efforts of a cleaning company, for which the film is named. The women have learned from their father, played by Alan Arkin, that it may not be easy to be your own boss, but it is worth the effort. The cleaning company does not clean houses or cars as to be expected of two youthful women, but rather crime scenes that have much more than a dirty sink to wipe. The film allows the women to explore their own sensitive side and take stake, not only in the lives that have ended, but also in the lives left behind. They recognize the drama, the comedy, and the mess that comes with someone passing and perhaps this is what director, Christine Jeffs intended. Jeffs places their newly established company in contrast with the old boys club, that seems to exist everywhere, even in this specialized cleaning business world.

Amy Adams (Enchanted and Doubt) and Emily Blunt (The Jane Austin Book Club and The Devil Wears Prada) brilliantly play the sisters who are both stuck, in different ways, within the trappings of early adulthood. The cleaning company is their opportunity to rediscover their relationship while escaping debt and financial destitution. It becomes clear as the film follows Arkin, from whom they have learned their unhealthy financial habits.

This film is an excellent example of what this new brand of American dark comedy is capable of achieving, much like Little Miss Sunshine (2006). These two films share more than just part of their title. Like Little Miss Sunshine, Sunshine Cleaning, features Arkin as a quirky father and also introduces a young child actor. Like Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine,” Jason Spevack demonstrates a creative intelligence and maturity that spans years. His portrayal does good job of balancing the grim and grime of the job his mother and aunt perform each day, as they make more money than they appear to ever have, as this profession, which few would take on, pays a hefty sum.

As of publication Sunshine Cleaning is not playing in Williamsport, but the theaters in town seem responsive to film-goers expressing interest in the films they desire to see at their local theaters. The film is touching. I definitely experienced the clichéd reactions of laughing and crying, and all of the actors are top notch, as evidenced by their numerous awards and nominations. I won’t hype it too much, but I do hope Williamsporters have a chance to see it.



Amy Hirsch graduated from Penn College of Technology and the University of Washington and now lives in Philadelphia, where she saw Sunshine Cleaning at the Ritz Five Theatre.