SUNSHINE STATE, directed and written by John Sayles, takes a close-up and occasionally comic look at the fading community of Delrona Beach, Florida. A dozen local personalities are introduced, each with their own unique challenges. The town's dilapidated houses, its stale Buccaneer Days Festival, its sluggish economy, and the constant stream of developers trying to buy up the shore front, are making the natives think about moving on. However, the black residents of Lincoln Park refuse to let their land be bought and turned into a vacation resort. Dr. Lloyd (Bill Cobbs) leads the charge to stage a protest, and tries to get help from Eunice (Mary Alice) her daughter Desiree (Angela Bassett), who is visiting from Boston. On the other side of things, Marly (Edie Falco), a former Weeki Wachee mermaid, is the surly manager of the dingy Sea-Vue Motel who would like nothing more than to sell the joint and leave Delrona Beach for good.

With a dizzy, meandering camera and a documentary feeling, SUNSHINE STATE draws viewers into the daily life of Delrona Beach, developing each of nearly a dozen characters with detail and feeling. While the plotlines are sometimes depressing, the realness of the characters and their lives is endearing, and at the end of the film, the narrative gets a satisfying dose of closure.

Theatrical Release: JUNE 21, 2002 (NY/LA)

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Letterbox - 1.85
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.0 - English
Additional Release Material:
Trailers
Audio Commentary: John Sayles - Director
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection

Edie Falco: American actress, THE SOPRANOS
Angela Bassett: American actress, WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT
Jane Alexander: American Actress
Ralph Waite: John Walton of TV's "The Waltons"
James McDaniel: Actor
Mary Alice: Actress/"To Sleep Anger"
Bill Cobbs: Supporting Actor
Gordon Clapp: Actor, TERMINI STATION
Mary Steenburgen: American Actress, TIME AFTER TIME
Timothy Hutton: American Actor "Ordinary People"/Son Of Actor Jim Hutton
Tom Wright: Actor, CONTAGION
Marc Blucas: Actor, SUMMER CATCH (2001)
Alexander Lewis: Actor, SUNSHINE STATE (2002)
 McMurray: Actor, SUNSHINE STATE (2002)
Perry Lang: Screenwriter/Director
Miguel Ferrer: American Actor
Charlayne Woodard: Actress
Clifton James: Star, Film and TV movies/appearances, '50s-90s, LONE STAR
Cullen Douglas: Actor, SUNSHINE STATE (2002)
Alan King: Actor/Comedian/Producer
Richard Edson: Star, HARD SCRAMBLED (2006)
Michael Greyeyes: TV Actor/"Geronimo"

John Sayles: Director/Writer/Producer

Maggie Renzi: Producer

John Sayles: Director/Writer/Producer

Mason Daring: Composer

"...The large ensemble boasts a number of vivid characters, embodied by a superb cast..."
"...Sayles has not tilted toward obvious political or social commentary, buts sees each character lovingly, as an individual whose present needs are more important than ideology..."
"No filmmaker evokes a sense of community more warmly than John Sayles..."
"...[Falco] is exquisitely vulnerable, and her scenes play well with Hutton, in his finest role in years..."
"...Edie Falco sparks the film....You can feel the heat that ignites this gripping tale, and the humor and humanity that root it in feeling..."
"...A spacious American epic....It creates a cinematic mosaic of American lives unprecedented in its range, balance, subtlety and even-handedness..."
"...Exquisite performances and strong atmospheric cinematography....The ensemble is aces -- the performances are what linger when Sayles has made his point....It's a film that stays with you..."
"...SUNSHINE STATE has several potent performances in it....This remains a film about something, one that attempts and often achieves a level of connection and concern..."