Sunshine Cleaning

Impressions before seeing it
I'd been wanting to see it for a while because I liked the idea. It looked like a sweet little indie comedy and I am a fan of Amy Adams so I was all for it.

How was it?
I found it rather similar to Little Miss Sunshine, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since that movie is awesome, but it's not necessarily a good thing either because it makes it a little less original, and because it doesn't pull off the charm quite as well.

Aside from both having Sunshine in the title and Alan Arkin in the cast (he plays almost the same character in both, by the way), these movies are largely about family and have a young child acting as the heart of the film. There is even a scene that makes you think Arkin's character has died, and I couldn't help thinking that it was kind of like an inside joke for those who have seen Little Miss Sunshine. Maybe it's just me, I don't know if anyone else who saw it made these connections.

But I don't mean to bash it, because it was cute and entertaining. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt were especially good as bickering sisters who go into business together. Steve Zahn also shows up as a married man having an affair with Adams, but I feel he was wasted here because his character doesn't have a lot to do and the extra-marital affair plotline isn't that exciting anymore. But again I do love the fact that someone made a comedy about people who clean up violent crime scenes.

Recommendation
If you tend to love films with heart that are typical to the indie genre and are a fan of Adams and/or Blunt then I say check it out. If you want something wildly new, this might not be for you.