Review of Sunshine Cleaning (2008) by Michele S — 22 Jan 2010

Times are hard for Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) but she has family to help pull her through (kind of). Her father Joe is played by Alan Arkin and her sister Nora is played by Emily Blunt. Joe has crazy business ideas and Nora is unreliable and unstable in life.

Rose is struggling as a maid and soon decides to open her own crime scene clean up business which she names "Sunshine Cleaning." She wants to save money to send her young son to private school. Rose brings her sister into the business despite her carefree lifestyle. Rose also comes to LOVE her new job and wants nothing more than to make her business successful. She befriends a store owner, Winston (Clifton Collins Jr.), who helps get her started in her business and helps watch her son so she can work. Nevertheless, she's faced with major obstacles in her new business and with her family, especially her sister. She must also come to terms with the fact that her high school sweetheart, Mac (Steve Zahn), whom she has been having an affair with, is not going to leave his wife.

It's a rollercoaster of emotions for Rose and I found myself being her cheerleader. It's a great movie about a down-on-her-luck girl who does what it takes to become successful with the hopes of providing a better life for her son. And we also get to watch a family come together in the process. A must see!