Sunshine State

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Sunshine State

PG-13

Released Jun 21, 2002

2h 21m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

110 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

This drama tells the story of a Florida island besieged by country-club resort developers. Included in the story are a woman (Angela Bassett) returning home after a long absence, and another woman (Edie Falco) who is forced to sell the restaurant and motel she inherited.

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Critics Consensus

Wonderfully acted, but the story and pacing can use a little work.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Who wants to complain abut an American movie that has too much on its mind? ... Best of all is Falco, whose bruised, brusque, soulful Southern girl banishes all traces of Carmela Soprano.

Mar 8, 2018

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Adam Nayman

eye WEEKLY

A fiercely intelligent South Florida mosaic.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 20, 2002

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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.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 9, 2002

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Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Another approach to engaging with and defanging anti-blackness in once-venerated cultural objects...

Feb 16, 2023

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Stuart Klawans

The Nation

All this is admirable. I just wish Sayles would also put a little movie into the movie.

Jul 21, 2015

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

This well acted ensemble melodrama is not one of John Sayles' strongest films.

Rated: B-

Jul 22, 2011

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Alec B

It might be a little too short for its sprawling narrative but Sayles' deeply human characters shine through.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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Audience Member

Parenthesized with a Greek chorus of golfers agitating nature on the leash, this is John Sayles' temperately crafted commentary on a menagerie of lives of past and present disaccord and reconcile in the face of the threat of a profit-making real estate development remodelling their locale.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

interesting film, well acted

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

This is a film that is filmed on Amelia Island. It looks at the community of Amelia Island. I found the movie rather boring. This film lacks the action. I found it more interesting finding where things are filmed around Amelia Island. This movie is about being endangered, times have changed, and things being not like they used to be. Shares some characteristics to the Island but the names have changed.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Frances H

A film about what might have been with a great ensemble cast. I loved the chorus of the old guys playing golf.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/15

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Audience Member

A1. Alan King monologues priceless.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

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John Sayles

Director

Edie Falco

Marly Temple

Angela Bassett

Desiree Perry

Jane Alexander

Delia Temple

Ralph Waite

Furman Temple

James McDaniel

Reggie Perry

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Synopsis

This drama tells the story of a Florida island besieged by country-club resort developers. Included in the story are a woman (Angela Bassett) returning home after a long absence, and another woman (Edie Falco) who is forced to sell the restaurant and motel she inherited.

Director: John Sayles
Producer: Maggie Renzi
Screenwriter: John Sayles
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Anarchists' Convention
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Sexual References|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.1M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, SDDS

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