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Sunshine Cleaning

Sunshine Cleaning

Comedy · Drama · 2009

A single mother and her slacker sister find an unexpected way to turn their lives around in this off-beat dramatic comedy. In order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school the mom starts an unusual business – a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service.

Movie details

Sunshine Cleaning

“life's a messy business.”

2009 Comedy · Drama 1h 31m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

A single mother and her slacker sister find an unexpected way to turn their lives around in this off-beat dramatic comedy. In order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school the mom starts an unusual business – a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Sunshine Cleaning?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Interiors

Interiors

Drama · 1978

When Eve, an interior designer, is deserted by her husband of many years, Arthur, the emotionally glacial relationships of the three grown-up daughters are laid bare. Twisted by jealousy, insecurity and resentment, Renata, a successful writer; Joey, a woman crippled by indecision; and Flyn, a budding actress; struggle to communicate for the sake of their shattered mother. But when their father unexpectedly falls for another woman, his decision to remarry sets in motion a terrible twist of fate…

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Christine Jeffs

Written by

Megan Holley

Amy Adams

Amy Adams

Rose Lorkowski

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt

Norah Lorkowski

Steve Zahn

Steve Zahn

Mac

Alan Arkin

Alan Arkin

Joe Lorkowski

Clifton Collins Jr.

Clifton Collins Jr.

Winston

Eric Christian Olsen

Eric Christian Olsen

Randy

Kevin Chapman

Kevin Chapman

Carl Swanson

Court is in session

Put Sunshine Cleaning on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.