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.
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.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
25 Jul 2002
fresh:
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.
– Roger Moore,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 Aug 2002
fresh:
Sunshine State is an efficient helping of Sayles, insightful even when it's not richly entertaining or imbued with apparent passion.
– Robert Denerstein,
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
9 Aug 2002
rotten:
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.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
9 Aug 2002
fresh:
Sunshine State resembles Sayles' sketchbook more than his finished work, and we might hope that something more polished might spring from it.