Sunshine State (2002)

Writer-director John Sayles weaves together the beauty, grime, and history of Florida in Sunshine State. The rumbling approach of real estate developers on a sleepy island sets the leisurely paced plot in motion. Sayles takes his time introducing his characters, gradually revealing how their lives intertwine, and, as always, teases magnificent performances out of his actors. Edie Falco is quietly brilliant as Marly, running an old-guard motel as progress marches on, and regarding the men in her life with a wry practicality. Mary Steenburgen gifts a small role with marvelous, spoiled humanity in a deft comic turn, and Angela Bassett slowly unfurls her character's depth with the elegance of a true pro. Sunshine State is a simple story, but never clichéd, possessing a glow worth basking in. --Ali Davis Amazon.com

Florida born and raised

We loved this movie, and have bought many copies to give to FL friends and relatives. Scenes of FL as it used to be, as well as scenes from FL as it is now. Great fun! January 8, 2008

Great Movie

My boyfriend, a huge John Sayles fan, introduced me to this movie when it was still on the big screen, and I loved it! I am not sure what I like best between the wonderful actors, many little play lines, or the quotes that we now share after watching this movie, but it is a treasure that we pull out every couple months or so. Now that our VCR has finally died we are replacing the VHS copy with a DVD. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. December 26, 2007

Whoa! Too many storylines to resolve.

Here's a movie that you hate to give an average rating to but it can't be helped. "Sunshine State" has a lot of great characters with a lot of great promise. That's the good, as well as, the bad part for this picture.

The cast delivers an A-list performance and you're quickly drawn into the story centered around an old beach community. There's plots that branch off from the main theme dealing with homecomings, an old community scandal, issues concerning today's crumbling families, hanging onto tradition while making room for progress-I could go on and on. You sit and fully invest yourself in these people but in the end the plot is just a snap shot in the life of these characters. This thing could have been a series, or at least, a mini-series and I could have kept coming back. In the end I was just teased and left wanting to know how they all came out. Loose endings in a movie I don't mind but not this many. Obviously that's what writer and director John Sayles wanted the viewer to leave with at the closing credits. All those questions which the viewer has to resolve for themselves. Too many for my book but make a sequel and I'll be there. September 13, 2007

and they wondered why those hanging chads and butterfly ballots were so problematic

sayles is one of the most talented underrated filmmakers of our day. it seems to me a film like this should have at least made a hit with the indie-hipster crowd, but i guess the wry humor may be lost on the other 49 states, myself being a third generation floridian. if you plan on visiting florida, you really oughta watch this movie first. you'll appreciate the place better afterwards. the movie is shot entirely on location, a number of places i've been numerous times. he really nailed every beat in this slice-of-life kind of film. (over)developers have come to renovate a sleepy island town and some of the inhabitants are rather reticent about seeing their heritage replaced with convenience stores and condos. this is the premise, and from here, Sayles lets the characters take over, and in no hurry. they are all interesting enough, though, to hold our attention and are extremely believable (they could all be my neighbors). the most endearing character for me, though, is the locale itself, replete with gators, mom-and-pop stores, scars of segregation (people forget mickey's winter home is below the mason-dixon), gators, greedy commercialists, seminoles-gone-redneck, southern rock bands, and retirees. i may be biased, but this film is the transcendance of the mundane at its best June 18, 2007

Dumbest thing ever put on film. Absolutely dreadful!!!

After reading some truly scathing reviews of this 2002 film (NOT including the word-of-mouth reactions of other movie fans I know), I decided to watch it to see if their opinions were correct......they were. I am a true movie buff myself: I get great satisfaction from settling into my chair (with a good snack of course) and unwinding from daily stress by watching an entertaining DVD.....but my day only got worse when I plugged in the "bordom fest" known as Sunshine State. I forced myself to endure all of it; more than two hours of people literally doing nothing (well, I'm afraid that's not really fair; they DO chat an aweful lot....but thats it). I had read the film was a comedy/drama. Well, besides having to pay real close attention to identify a dramatic moment or two there was nothing even remotely funny about Sunshine State. In fact, you're so disappointed in the film that if there were a humorous moment you wouldn't even feel like laughing. The film makers really did forget to have something happen in this movie. There is no action, no comedy, no art, NO PLOT, just a bland look at ordinary people doing ordinary things in Florida. The most exciting part of the whole movie featured an alligator sitting in a pen...doing nothing. Seriously, you will overdose on bordom if you watch this film. If you have trouble sleeping at night, just watch 15 minutes of this movie....start it from the end if you like (it won't matter). I friend of mine watched this film in a class because it had simularities to "The Grapes of Wrath". He said within 15 minutes half the class was asleep and the other half was wondering about the hallways to escape from this monstrosity of a movie. He even had this to say about Sunshine State: "Every hair on my head was growing in the direction of the exit's welcoming glow". Even the cast from Mystery Science Theater 3000 wouldn't know where to begin making fun of this train wreck. Actually, I am offended this movie was made in my home state. A word to the wise: AVOID SUNSHINE STATE AT ALL COSTS!

OVERALL DOCUMENTED SCORE: F May 1, 2007

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