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Sunshine State

Sunshine State

Drama · 2002

A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estate development.

Movie details

Sunshine State

“Greetings from...”

2002 Drama 2h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estate development.

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 State?

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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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Sayles

Written by

John Sayles

Jane Alexander

Jane Alexander

Delia Temple

Mary Alice

Mary Alice

Eunice Stokes

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett

Desiree Perry

Gordon Clapp

Gordon Clapp

Earl Pinkney

Bill Cobbs

Bill Cobbs

Dr. Elton Lloyd

Edie Falco

Edie Falco

Marly Temple

Miguel Ferrer

Miguel Ferrer

Lester

Court is in session

Put Sunshine State on trial.

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

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

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

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

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