Sunshine State (2002)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writer (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

26 July 2002 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Greetings from ...

Plot:

A woman and her new husband returns to her hometown roots in coastal northern Florida, and must deal with family, business, and encroaching real estate development.

Plot Keywords:

African American | Florida | Land Developer | Vandalism | Ocean

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Alex Lewis	...	Terrell
Alan King	...	Murray Silver
Cullen Douglas	...	Jefferson Cash
Clifton James	...	Buster Bidwell
Eliot Asinof	...	Silent Sam
James McDaniel	...	Reggie Perry
Angela Bassett	...	Desiree Perry
Edie Falco	...	Marly Temple
Amanda Wing	...	Krissy
Timothy Hutton	...	Jack Meadows
Perry Lang	...	Greg
Miguel Ferrer	...	Lester
Gordon Clapp	...	Earl Pinkney
Kyle Meenan	...	Dick Yordan
Mary Steenburgen	...	Francine Pinkney

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, a sexual reference and thematic elements.

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 (No. 38631) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | Germany:o.Al. | Norway:A | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Amelia Island, Florida, USA

Company:

Anarchist's Convention Films

Trivia:

On shooting location, a road was being blocked and a couple of patrons could not get to a bar across the street until the crew was done shooting that particular scene. While in the middle of filming a scene, one man furious with waiting runs across the scene and moons the camera, eventually making it to the bar safely.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Early in the film when Francine is talking with one of the developers, they pass a sign in the foreground that says "Amelia Island", the filing location, instead of the film's fictional location, Plantation Island.

Quotes:

Steve Tregaskis): [Dressed as a Civil War re-enactor] You can't live in the past.

Movie Connections:

References Lone Star (1996)

Soundtrack:

Skeeter Pie

Beautifully understated

Where Robert Altman wields gigantic casts like a battering ram, bombarding audiences with overlapping dialogue and showing off with tricksy camerawork, John Sayles draws us in to his richly observant tales by keeping things simple. He is a fine storyteller.

Sunshine State is a perfect example of why Sayles' laid-back approach works so well. This is a flowing, intriguing character study with a wry script delivered by a uniformly excellent and ego-free cast.

There is little by way of drama here, just a snapshot of a beachtown community in which lives frequently change but whose heart stays the same. Sit back and soak up the atmosphere.