"Sunlight Jr." starring Naomi Watts & Matt Dillon raved by the SF Chronicle Review (4 out of 5)

'Sunlight Jr.' review: Love in dismal surroundings

- by Walter Addiego, SFGate, Nov 14, 2013

"Sunlight Jr." is a compelling portrayal of the grinding life of America's working poor, brought into sharp focus by intense lead performances from Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon. The film is merciless in showing the obstacles faced by a down-and-out couple in strip-mall Florida, but there's a modicum of hope in the genuine love the characters share.

Melissa (Watts) and her wheelchair-using boyfriend, Richie (Dillon), live in a seedy motel, scraping by on her salary as a clerk at a convenience store - called Sunlight Jr. - and his disability checks. Melissa's is a depressing, dead-end job made worse by a nasty, sexist boss and unwanted visits from a sleazy and menacing ex-boyfriend (Norman Reedus) who used to supply her with pills. Small wonder she habitually shows up late, which of course is held against her....

Richie, a roughneck with a sweet side, passes the days fixing home appliances (not exactly an in-demand skill) and drinking at a bar, where he reminisces about his earlier life as a construction worker. Sometimes he drinks with ne'er-do-well pals, sometimes by himself, from a bottle stashed in his wheelchair.

Melissa and Richie exist paycheck-to-paycheck in a world where problems beget problems and chances for escape are rare. The film powerfully conveys the milieu's bleakness - particularly painful are scenes set in a shabby foster home run by Melissa's alcoholic mother (Tess Harper).

In spite of it all, Melissa and Richie are truly in love, and the movie treats the relationship with tenderness. Richie is thrilled when Melissa happily announces her unexpected pregnancy (he's doubly surprised - he thought he had been "shooting blanks"). But given their circumstances, it's reasonable to ask whether this really is good news. Things come to a head when the two are kicked out of the motel and forced to move in with her mom.

There's a danger in movies like this of simply pouring on the misery, but writer-director Laurie Collyer (who in 2006 made the very good "Sherrybaby") never reduces or objectifies the two leads. Much credit for this goes to the performances by Watts and Dillon, formidable actors at the top of their game here and exhibiting a remarkable chemistry.

"Sunlight Jr." stumbles a bit in a couple of contrived moments, and one or two of the smaller roles verge on caricature. But the film makes its point about the hardships faced by its main characters without lecturing us and without losing sight of their real flaws. Despite all their afflictions, they are always sympathetic and fully human.

(4 out of 5)