Sunshine State **½ (2002, Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Alex Lewis, Timothy Hutton, James McDaniel, Jane Alexander, Bill Cobbs, Ralph Waite, Miguel Ferrer, Mary Steenburgen) – Classic Movie Review 3942

Angela Bassett and Edie Falco star as actress Desiree Perry and motel/café owner Marly Temple, two women who join forces to battle greedy Florida real estate developers, in writer-director John Sayles’s well-acted and intriguing but complicated, overlong (141 minutes) and none too thrilling 2002 multi-drama.

It is a well-meaning film made with great care and intelligence, and it has some good characters, situations and dialogue, so it is certainly in the interesting category. But, sincere and earnest though it is, it lacks excitement and is still a bit of a disappointment from top writer-director Sayles.

Also in the cast are Timothy Hutton, James McDaniel, Jane Alexander, Bill Cobbs, Ralph Waite, Mary Alice, Miguel Ferrer (as Lester), Gordon Clapp, Mary Steenburgen, Alex Lewis, Alan King, Culleen Douglas and Clifton James.

Miguel Ferrer died of cancer on 19 January 2017, aged 61. He was also known for Iron Man 3 (2013) and RoboCop (1987).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3942

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