It’s a rough economy out there, but if you can find a niche market and exploit it then you’re way ahead of the game. That’s the crux of Sunshine Cleaning, the story of a pair of dysfunctional sisters that start their own crime scene clean-up and disposal business. Ever wondered what happens when the CSI guys leave after they’ve collected all their evidence? Well it ain’t pretty, not that Sunshine’s really that gory either though. But that brings up an interesting point, and that’s the apt comparisons to another movie with “Sunshine” in the title: Little Miss Sunshine and I’m not just saying that because Alan Arkin plays the grandpa.

Amy Adams and Emily Blunt play sisters Rose and Norah Lorkowski. Rose is a single mother cleaning houses to make ends meet, while her young son’s (Jason Spevack) odd behaviour gets him turfed out of one school after another. To make matters worse on herself, Rose is engaged in an affair with a married detective (Steve Zahn) whose eventual divorce from his wife is perpetually in the works, waiting for the right time. But if her life is messed up, it’s nothing compared to Norah who’s living with dad, can’t hold on to a job and is one psychiatrist’s diagnosis away from being labelled a manic depressive. Dad, meanwhile, seems to spend his life hustling, whether it’s distributing some kind of candy corn concoction or direct marketing raw shrimp to restaurants.

Obviously, these are kooky characters, but they’re not so kooky that they overwhelm the story. It’s a good mix of both silly, character driven comedy and a more skewed kind of black comedy. There’s a lot of funny, but the film also has its share of strife and drama while always keeping things at a consistent ratio of silly to serious. If there’s anything that doesn’t work in the film’s favour it’s the comparisons to Little Miss Sunshine, with its desert setting and overly exaggerated family drama. The presence of Arkin doesn’t help either despite the fact that he’s as excellent as always as the hysterical curmudgeon.

But in this case imitation is flattery, and there are enough differences to make the experience seem fresh and new. That mostly comes from the actors though. Adams and Blunt have a great sisterly antagonism, displaying wicked chemistry when being played off each other, but also solid enough that they stand on their own as characters. Blunt especially impresses by giving depth to what could have been the stereotypical hellion child role, and she plays well off of 24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub as the daughter of one of Norah and Rose’s first “clients.” Another welcome addition was Clifton Collins Jr. as a one-armed cleaning supplies salesman that begins to develop a platonic relationship with Rose.

With a solid cast, and some interesting insights to a little seen or appreciated vocation, Sunshine Cleaning is a winning comedy that accomplishes much without trying too hard to please. A solid, laid back directing effort by Christine Jeffs and well-written script by Megan Holley makes this comedy a pleasant, through not thoroughly crowd-pleasing affair. It was its rough edges, story wise speaking, but the good far outweighs the bad and the script, while occasionally predictable, never delves into cliché. The makers behind Sunshine Cleaning make it look easy too, deceptively so. A lot of comedies try much harder to be this good, but fail miserably. While not an outright winner, Sunshine definitely places.