Cheap Sunshine State (DVD) (Angela Bassett, Edie Falco) (John Sayles) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sunshine State

Sayles produces another winner
John Sayles, who wrote, directed, and edited Sunshine State, is one of the finest directors working today. He is able to take seemingly unrelated stories and create a wonderful film. His work, including Limbo, Eight Men Out, Lone Star, and Matewan are all movies that make you think. I would have liked more extras on this DVD, but Sayles commentary is interesting and does provide some insight into the movie making process. The movie, about developers moving into a little town in Florida and the effect on the town, looks at class and race differences and provides a different look at Florida, much like Limbo did for Alaska. The cast is really good, led by Edie Falco, who provides a Oscar worthy performance as a "motelier" who wants more out of life but doesn't seem to want it enough to leave, and by Angela Bassett, who did leave and maybe is wondering what she got of life by leaving. Bill Cobbs and TYimothy Hutton also provide solid performances in this movie. As I indictaed, the lack of extras is disappointing, but the movie itself is a gem. John Sayles, whose body of work stands with any director working today, has produced another film that will leave you thinking about it long after you view it.

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More than It Seems
This is so much more than a movie about real-estate developers moving into a sleepy coastal community in Florida, despite how it appears at the beginning. It is about the lives and dreams of those who live there; about those who have left and returned; and those who have never left, but want to. It is about dreams: dreams of individuals and dreams held by parents for their children. "Sunshine State" has a unique perspective.

Sayles examines each of his characters with great affection, it seems. No one is all-good or all-bad.....there is a lot of "middle of the road" here, mostly decent people. He lovingly develops his characters slowly and thoughtfully, and never judges these folks, no matter what they decide to do or not do.

The slow, but never boring, pace of this movie allows the viewer to get involved in the lives of its characters, all of whom are played to perfection by fairly high-profile actors (Angela Bassett, Edir Falco, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen, and Alan King, among others). The narrative is told in ovelapping stories with an intersection of most of its characters as conflicts unfold in the community.

This movie left me with a lot to think about.

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John Sayles At His Best
No film director has earned more the right to make a movie about not selling out than has John Sayles. Over the years he has consistently directed fine independent movies. I thus expected much from this movie and was not disappointed.

The out-of-state developers have descended on Delrona Beach and Lincon Beach, Florida. They want to bring progress in the form of "plantations," planned resorts, golf courses, etc. If you are interested in how timely this subject is, spend a day driving down A-1A in Florida. Then there's Disney World in the middle of the state. You'll be interested to see just who the bad guys are and what color some of them are.

The ensemble cast is outstanding, from Angela Bassett-- when she's on the screen, all eyes are on her-- to Edie Falco, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen--"it's so difficult to create a tradition"--to Jane Alexander and Gordon Clapp. There is a delicious scene where Alexander outsmarts a developer who is trying to rook her out of her property. She says something to the effect that she's good at finance since she has run a nonprofit theatre group for 25 years. A word about Falco: you totally forget that she is a big part of "The Sopranos." It's good to know that there is life for her outside that show. She's completely believable as the tired manager of her father's restaurant and motel. Finally, it's worth what you paid to rent or buy this video to hear the young woman sing "The Last Mile of the Way."