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Health & Fitness

SUNLIGHT JR.

SUNLIGHT JR.

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Opening in theatres this Friday from director Laurie Collyer and Samuel Goldwyn is a life around SUNLIGHT JR.

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This film tells the story of Melissa (Naomi Watts) and her boyfriend Richie (Matt Dillion) who is in a wheelchair. Melissa’s ex-boyfriend Justin (Norman Reedus) continually stops by the Sunlight Jr. to harass her while Richie keeps himself entertained with the other residents of the Floridian Inn.

Melissa also wants to go back to school and discovers that she’s pregnant. Richie is thrilled about the prospect of being a father but the realization also begin to set in. Melissa is making minimum wage and Richie can’t keep his disability check long enough to save anything.

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But it quickly goes from bad to worse as the couple must now move in with Melissa’s mother Kathleen (Tess Harper) bringing more tension. In one night Melissa will decide on her own what is best for all concerned.

In the morning Melissa begins again.

FINAL WORD: Watts as Melissa goes from one bad relationship to another. Wanting more for her life she is constantly dragged back down by a stalking ex-boyfriend, a wheelchair bound new boyfriend, an alcoholic mother and a sleazy boss. Watts has once again reached down into a character finding some fragment of hope to cling onto. This is the second performance I’ve seen this year with Watts that has caught my attention, the other being her performance in the film DIANA.

Dillion as Richie is definitely a man with serious issues. Feeling trapped in the wheelchair he wants a better life for Melissa but always manages to find a way to instead make things worse. Hiding in a bottle trying to drown not only the rage of being in the chair but knowing there is a connection with the ex-boyfriend that he can do nothing about. Dillion continues to prove he still has the right stuff and proves it with this role.

Reedus, who already has a huge following, gets the chance to slough off his zombie bow-toting image of THE WALKING DEAD. Here he portrays a father who doesn’t know how to be one, a jilted lover who wants Melissa back but has no trouble filling her spot in the meantime and a landlord enjoying control over his tenants. That’s a lot to have on the character plate but Reedus does it with ease and control.

Other cast include: Antoni Corone as Edwin, Keith Hudson as Micky, Yvonne Gougelet as Kristi and Jannette Sepwa as the Social Worker.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give SUNLIGHT JR. three tubs of popcorn out of five. This is a slow film in that it takes time to let the characters show what they truly are made of. Once it is all laid out for the audience its like a train wreck in slow motion and there’s no chance of looking away. Each actor not only gives a performance that is riveting to watch in an ensemble but also telling their own characters stories.

That’s hard enough to do just watching it all but amazing to see how directors Laurie Collyer and Samuel Goldwyn weave this web of human heartbreak. In this world there are those who thrive on self-destruction and, occasionally, in the midst of the storm is one who sees clearly enough to act and that’s Watt’s character. Her performance of a woman trying to undo so many choices is amazing.

In the end – sometimes love doesn’t conqueror all.

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