Sunshine State (2002)
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80% of critics liked it
(107 reviews) -
48% of users liked it
(2,465 ratings)
Writer and director John Sayles returns with another multi-layered look at an American community, subtly exploring how race, class, economics, and both national and regional history come together to shape people's lives. Plantation Island is a community on the coast of Florida; the island was… More Writer and director John Sayles returns with another multi-layered look at an American community, subtly exploring how race, class, economics, and both national and regional history come together to shape people's lives. Plantation Island is a community on the coast of Florida; the island was once a notorious hotbed of segregationists, with most of the African-American population centered in the neighborhood of Lincoln Beach, while Delrona Beach is primarily home to white residents. Marly Temple (Edie Falco) is the sixth generation of her family to live in Delrona Beach, where she helps run a motel and cafe owned by her elderly and ill-tempered father (Ralph Waite) and drama instructor mother (Jane Alexander). Marly's former husband, Steve (Richard Edson), is a scruffy ne'er do well who's a sucker for get-rich-quick scams, while her current boyfriend, Scotty (Marc Blucas), is struggling to make something of himself as a golf pro. Meanwhile, Desiree Perry (Angela Bassett) is an actress who is returning to Lincoln Beach for the first time since she was a teenager, hoping to introduce her new husband, Reggie (James McDaniel), to her mother, Eunice Stokes (Mary Alice). Desiree was the center of a minor local scandal when she became pregnant as a teenager and moved away. Eunice has never quite forgiven her, while Flash (Tom Wright), Desiree's high school boyfriend and the man responsible, hasn't seen her since. Eunice is looking after Terrell (Alex Lewis), a troubled youth recently found guilty of arson, and Desiree and Reggie soon find themselves bonding with the misguided youth. In time, Delrona Beach and Lincoln Beach are brought together by a common concern; Greg (Perry Lang) and Lester (Miguel Ferrer) are representatives from a nearby resort community looking to expand, with Plantation Island looking like their most likely target. As homeowners debate whether to sell or stay put, local government officials and the town's business community argue the merits and faults of the resort's expansion into Plantation Island. Meanwhile, Marly becomes romantically involved with Jack (Timothy Hutton), a landscape architect affiliated with the developers who seems to believe his work is doing more harm than good. Sunshine State also features Mary Steenburgen, Alan King, and Bill Cobbs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Sayles
- Written By
- John Sayles
- Genres
- Drama
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Jun 21, 2002 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Classics
Critic Reviews
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Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Sunshine State resembles Sayles' sketchbook more than his finished work, and we might hope that something more polished might spring from it.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Sunshine State has the structure, the theme, the style and, at 141 minutes, the length of a great John Sayles film. What it doesn't have, alas, is the merit.
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Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Sunshine State is an efficient helping of Sayles, insightful even when it's not richly entertaining or imbued with apparent passion.
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Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
This is geographic history as personal history, a look at a vanishing world before the tide of progress immerses it. It's also superb independent filmmaking.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Sunshine State lacks the brilliance of Sayles' most dynamic offerings, but, for those who don't mind an unhurried, deliberate narrative pace, this is a worthwhile offering.
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Cast
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Edie Falco
as Marly Temple
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Angela Bassett
as Desiree Perry
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Jane Alexander
as Delia Temple
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Ralph Waite
as Furman Temple
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James McDaniel
as Reggie
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Timothy Hutton
as Jack Meadows
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Mary Alice
as Eunice Stokes
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Bill Cobbs
as Dr. Lloyd
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Mary Steenburgen
as Francine Pickney
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Alex Lewis
as Terrell Bernard
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Gordon Clapp
as Earl Pickney
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Richard Edson
as Steve Tregaskis
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Tom Wright
as Flash Phillips
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Perry Lang
as Greg
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Miguel Ferrer
as Lester
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Marc Blucas
as Scotty Duval
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Michael Greyeyes
as Billy Trucks
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Alan King
as Murray Silver
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Charlayne Woodard
as Loretta
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Eliot Asinof
as Silent Sam
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Sam McMurray
as Northrup
- Robert Wisdom
