Reel Critics

Jim Erwin

“Sunshine State” weaves together the stories of people living on a

fictional island off the coast of Florida. They are everyday, slice of

life stories, about people responding to changes.

A development company wants to purchase all of the island’s coastal

property to build expensive condominiums. As the developers plan to build

along the beaches, we watch how the characters respond to this and other

changes in their lives.

The primary stories evolve around Desiree Perry (Angela Bassett) and

Marly Temple (Edie Falco). Desiree returns home to the island to visit

family and friends for the first time since abruptly leaving as a

teenager. She must reconcile the new life she’s created with the old one

she left behind.

In many ways, “Sunshine State” feels like it would be more at home on

a stage than on the big screen. The action is almost exclusively

contained in the dialogue between characters. Periodically, the scene

changes to a group of golfers lead by Alan King, who appears in a

stage-like transitional device to provide comic relief. The dialogue in

these sequences is a bit forced, as they lay down the story’s subtext.

Change is inevitable, and whether change is for the better or worse is in

the eye of the beholder.

At times “Sunshine State” gets a little too full of itself, but

overall it’s rather engaging.

John Sayles’s script is dripping with ironic humor and the cast is

filled with great actors. The supporting cast includes Miguel Ferrer,

Mary Steenburgen, Timothy Hutton, James Cobb, Mary Alice, Jane Alexander

and many other first-rate performers. This is the kind of movie that

actors make for the love of their craft, and people watch to remind

themselves that there’s more to Hollywood than Adam Sandler. This is a

pretty good night out, especially if you’re looking for a movie that

feels real and has enough happening in the script that it’s worth

discussing over a beer.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.