Sunshine State (2002)

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.

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Alex Lewis, Alan King, Angela Bassett

7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Ambitious land developers descend on a tiny Florida coastline community, inhabited mostly by local yokels and elderly African Americans. Many of them don't want to see their homes and businesses sacrificed in the name of "progress" (a.k.a. condos, hotels, strip malls, and so on). But the city council appears to be all too willing to let them come in and develop the land. In addition, one weary hotel owner is thinking about giving in and selling. Meanwhile, one prominent African American athlete suddenly becomes interested in buying out his aging neighbors. So now that the wheels of progress appear to be in motion, it seems that a minor miracle is the only thing that can stop it.

---

Plot Keywords:

florida | african american | neighbor | business | land developer | 

---

Taglines:

Greetings from ...

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics [us] - trailer, synopsis, etc.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 2002 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A Terra do Sol

Filming Locations:

Amelia Island, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£25,888 (UK) (26 July 2002)

Gross:

$3,064,356 (USA) (15 November 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anarchist's Convention Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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

When the bulldozer is about to tear down the trees, there are tracks in the dirt from previous takes.

---

Quotes

Marly Temple: Shit happens, you know. A lot of it happened to me.

---

Connections

Referenced in Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"Buccaneer Daze"
Music by Mason Daring
Lyrics by John Sayles
Performed by the Delrona Beach Festival Choir
Courtesy of Daring Music

User Reviews

Excellent study of human nature

One of those movies which goes nowhere with elegance. It touches on all the basic concerns of humanity: love, race, age, parents, and real estate. More than that, it handles all of them with honesty and kindness.

This movie should be watched late at night when the mind no longer knows where it wants to go. You can let it drift over you like a soft summer breeze. Hopefully in that state you will accept the fact that there is really no graceful resolutions or summations in life, just a review of how we dealt with all the little things which seemed so large at the time. The selection of actors for the movie also reflects the tone. Many very good artists who are drawn from television rather than the box office are able to use this vehicle to show us what they are really capable of.