Sunshine State NJMoon 30 November 2002. City of Hope (film) 1991 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. Desiree Perry left town many years ago to escape a scandal and make a name for herself as an actress. [United States]. It's set on a Florida resort island, long stuck in its ways, that has been targeted by a big development … In a movie made 20 years ago, she would be fighting against the capitalist invaders, but, frankly, she wants to sell--and she even begins a little romance with Jack (Timothy Hutton), the architect sent in to size things up. Storyline. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC. Some of the characters seem to have drifted in from Altman Land, especially Mary Steenburgen's, whose narration of the pageant is a wildly irrelevant counterpoint to the island's reality. It takes real genious to know when to get off. John Sayles' "Sunshine State" looks at first like the story of clashes between social and economic groups: between developers and small landowners, between black and white, between the powerful and their workers, between the chamber of commerce and local reality. 6 of 9 people found this review helpful. The 30th Annual Florida Film runs through April 22 at Enzian Theater in Maitland as well as online. When she bought this house, it represented a substantial dream for an ambitious black couple; today, it looks a little forlorn. An intersecting tale with a multitude of characters living lives which, in one way or another, revolve around an old apartment block scheduled to be demolished. As he has done previously, he explores in deeply engaging and imaginative ways the important art of making connections and the need to live out of our deepest and truest selves. Many of these sub-plots go on forever and are never resolved. Torn between honoring family obligations and the lure of quick cash, the locals greet the outsiders with a wildly mixed reception. As caretaker of her father's motel and cafe, she has grown resentful of missed opportunities. "Sunshine State" is not a radical attack on racism and big business, not a defense of the environment, not a hymn in favor of small communities over conglomerates. Written by Success seems to go wrong on this island; while Francine, the bubbly chamber of commerce pageant chairwoman (Mary Steenburgen) narrates a story of pirates and treasure, her husband tries to kill himself, although neither hanging nor a nail gun do the trick. They show that if you have enough money and power, you don't need to get your hands dirty making more (others will do that for you), and you can be genial and philosophical--a sweet, colorful character, subsidized by the unhappiness of others. But it is not Marly's dream. This FAQ is empty. Check out the full list of winners. Because we are so familiar with the conventional approach to a story like this, it takes time to catch on that Sayles is not repeating the old progressive line about the little guy against big capital. Sunshine State is another really good John Sayles film. After an accident leaves her a paraplegic, a former soap opera star struggles to recover both emotionally and mentally, until she meets her newest nurse, who has struggles of her own. 6.7 sunshine state film h 20 min 2002 X-Ray PG-13 selects people at random to one! Personal struggles into the bigger story line, and this is a book crime! Got out, like Tim Hutton 's sad architect, seem to much... 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