Rose works as a maid while trying to raise her troublemaker (according to the school) son. Her sister Norah still lives with Dad, unable to hold down a simple job and fully immersed in her slacker lifestyle. The father Joe seems to have ambitions to be an entrepreneur in his retirement years. When Rose's lover and father of her child suggests she start a cleaning business taking care of crime scenes, it looks like she might be able to turn her life around. Amy Adams is full of neurotic energy as Rose. Stung by a chance encounter with an old schoolmate, she starts to make efforts to achieve the status she believes a former top cheerleader should attain. The storyline of starting the business, overcoming the queasiness and glimpsing success before setbacks kick in, is all nicely done. The characters are natural and engaging. Emily Blunt as Norah is aimless and affable. She makes a connection borne from misplaced compassion. The joyless sex she puts herself through with her sometime boyfriend, and her lack of work ethic, point to something missing in her life. But she is a doting aunt and empathetic being, who needs to go be her better self. And both women need to face up to the dark legacy of their mother. The narrative doesn't always hold up however, and some episodes appear random. Oscar's behavioural problems are overplayed, especially the licking. Dad buying shrimp is also a storyline that just dangles on the edges. Some conversations with heaven via CB radio do not quite convince. And a character having one arm seems too much of a deliberate play for quirkiness. The ending, involving some baby shower nonsense and a sibling fall out, seems rather forced and spoon-fed. Good acting, some nice relationships, but in the end this in no Little Miss Sunshine.
Review of Sunshine Cleaning
