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Sunshine State 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by John Sayles
PG-13, 141 min. (brief strong language, thematic elements) |
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Starring: Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, James McDaniel, Ralph Waite, Richard Edson, Miguel Ferrer, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen, Jane Alexander, Gordon Clapp, Mary Alice, Bill Cobbs, Tom Wright, Alan King
Producers: Maggie Renzi
Screenplay: John Sayles
Cinematography: Patrick Cady
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Released: 6.21.02 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Sunshine State is about characters, their individual struggles, and how they deal with the ever-changing world around them.
Director John Sayles, whose previous strong efforts include Lone Star and Limbo, weaves the lives of a group
of small town Florida residents into a tapestry of common causes and self-examination. The film is like a puzzle - each
piece is identified and studied, then slowly brought together to reveal a larger picture of today's diverse climate. This is
an extremely intelligent film, cliché-free and refreshingly honest. There's not a specific statement made here about
any particular group, and the picture doesn't take sides, instead it presents a community that learns to cope and adjust
to the evolving landscape around it. Sayles is quickly proving to be one of the best directors in Hollywood today.
It's obvious that Sayles loves investigating his characters, thereby uncovering truths about our own humanity. He uses
the community of Plantation Island, Florida as his study group. The town is undergoing a metamorphasis by the hands
of big business, much like other older communities along the coast of Florida's coveted beach front property. Resistance
to change is considerable, however, led by a group of residents who don't want to see their history obliterated in front of
their eyes. Some characters see opportunity, others danger, and a few are indifferent to change. We see the splintered
families, the shattered hopes of lost dreams, and the frustration of experiencing apathy among friends and neighbors.
It's all here, and Sayles excels at unveiling their lives.
The story focuses on two main characters. One is Desiree (Angela Bassett), who left her family when she was pregnant at 15, has returned
with her husband (James McDaniel) to reconcile with her mother, Eunice (Mary Alice), who owns a prime beach front house.
The other, Marly (Edie Falco), runs a family-owned motel. Her father, Furman (Ralph Waite), and mother, Delia (Jane Alexander),
are retired and engage in their hobbies while Marly is left to take of the business. She has recently been tempted to
sell the motel to a real estate development company because of her desire to do something meaningful with her life, especially
when she meets a landscape engineer, Jack Meadows (Timothy Hutton), who is working on the project for the company.
Their lives are intersected by extraneous characters which include Dr. Lloyd (Bill Cobbs), who leads the community against
the developers, Francine Pickney (Mary Steenburgen), who hosts the town's festivities, and her husband, Earl (Gordon Clapp),
whose repeated attempts at suicide have been fruitless.
The film focuses on each character and how they relate to the town's facelift for tourists - the African American community
laments the demise of their distinctive heritage inherent in the town, small business owners fear they are being pushed out,
and a few people see change as an opportunity to make a fresh start. Sayles has no problem moving from one character
to another smoothly and without detachment. He treats each character crisis as wholly important, but also with regard
to how it relates to those around them. Once we understand the motives and feelings at work, it's easier to comprehend
why certain decisions are made and how they interconnect with each other.
It doesn't hurt that the performances here are all solid, giving the film a crucial believability factor that would otherwise thwart
its sincerity. Bassett and Falco are impressive - they are relaxed and comfortable in their roles despite some difficult
scenes. Also, Hutton and Cobbs provide some of the film's more instropective moments, ones that manage to establish
balance between an outside and inside perspective.
Sunshine State is about the state of Florida, but it could easily be about any similar community in the country that is confronted
with unavoidable change and the effects that they create. Although the film is well over two hours long, the time passes
quickly because the audience is invested in the characters and experiences the ups and downs in their lives. Sayles treats
his audience with intelligence, and for that he is rewarded with respect. This isn't an easy film to digest, but
it does fully satisfy.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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