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SUNSHINE STATE Send This Review to a Friend
John Sayles has made his most ambitious and impressive film to date. "Sunshine State," which he wrote, directed and edited, is entertaining, dramatic and has plenty to say about encroachments on our environment. His focus in this case is on fictional Plantation Island, Florida. Most importantly, the story he tells comes to us in the form of close-up personal dramas concerning a variety of characters, some white, some African-American. His gift for casting is fully evident here, with a superb group of performances showing the way.
As Sayles fans know, the director doesn't go in for the easy, glib presentation. "Sunshine State" is rich in atmosphere and proceeds at a pace leisurely enough for us to get to know the characters and become caught up in their lives. The film is very much about change, environmental and personal, blended with sophistication and expertise. It is storytelling with ease, adding up to a meaningful overview and overall impact.
Sayles uses a clever and amusing wrap-around involving Alan King and other actors as golfing buddies musing about how Florida has changed--condominiums, golf courses, malls et. The golfers also have the final word in a kicker of an ending.
A beachfront community is threatened by a scheme of investors with local allies to buy up property and pull off a presumably lucrative project without regard for the area's natural beauty that is still evident. Against this backdrop are the various characters whom we get to know. Edie Falco of "The Sopranos" fame gives a stunningly earthy performance as Marly, who is saddled with running the family motel and bar, owned for years by her dad, Furman Temple, (Ralph Waite) and her mom, Della Temple (Jane Alexander), who operates a community theater and is bent on preserving what's left of area's natural beauty. Marly hasn't had much luck with men, especially her loser of an ex-husband (Richard Edson). She gets involved with a newcomer, Jack Meadows, played with easy-going charm by Timothy Hutton, who, she soon learns, is exploring the area for the development company. Sparks flare between them, but can there be a relationship that goes anywhere?
In another town, Lincoln Beach, Mary Alice as Eunice Stokes is a holdout with a modest but crucial piece of property. She has been raising a sullen young boy, Terrell (Alex Lewis), who has had a tragic background and is prone to getting into trouble. Desiree, Eunice's daughter, portrayed by Angela Bassett in one of her finest performances, returns for a visit after a long absence with her husband Dr. Reginald Perry (James McDaniel) and tries to bridge the gap with her resentful mother, still angry at Desiree's rapid departure under a cloud all those years ago. Desiree encounters her former boyfriend, an ex-football hero known as Flash Phillips (Tom Wright), now using his one-time fame to make money, and her former schoolmate, Loretta (Charlayne Woodard). Dr. Perry takes an interest in needy young Terrell, who warms to him as a surrogate father. There is also the Stokes family friend, elderly Dr. Lloyd (Bill Cobbs), who vigorously opposes the developers.
Mary Steenburgen is special in her Chamber of Commerce role as Francine Pickney, who concentrates on staging Buccaneer Day, a rather ludicrous community event celebrating its history of explorers and pirates and meant to attract tourism. She's pathetic, not only because few people give a damn but because she hasn't a clue as to the desperation of her gambling debt-plagued husband Earl (Gordon Clapp), who ineffectually keeps trying to kill himself. Perhaps the film's most heartbreaking moment is when she tells him, "You're my rock."
Such is the outline of the goings-on that Sayles explores, with some surprises in store. Vivid cinematography by Patrick Cady that complements the director's attention to visual detail helps make the film so colorful. "Sunshine State" is a character-driven work abetted by the excellent cast members who breathe life into the people under the microscope. The result is a collection of moving moments, pointed humor, character growth and bonds forged, as well as a spirit of fight back against greed.
As you can see, this is a film that I deeply admire and heartily recommend. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
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