Matt Dillon as Richie and Naomi Watts as Melissa in SUNLIGHT JR.Photo Credit – Gravitas Ventures and Samuel Goldwyn Films

Poverty in America is real. Everyday people are put in impossible scenarios and try to survive. Whether it’s hanging on by a thread in a convenience store job or stuck out of work because of a disability, the obstacles can feel unsurmountable. Sunlight JR. seeks to tell that story. Only, the movie plays out less gritty and more as a melodrama.

Naomi Watts (The Impossible, Princess Diana) plays Melissa, a cashier at the Sunlight JR. convenience store where she’s constantly harassed by her perverted manager and forced to work long hours. Her boyfriend Richie, played by Matt Dillon (Crash, The Outsiders), is confined to a wheelchair and collects disability checks. Out of work, Richie spends most of his time at the bar or drinking with the other residents at the hotel where he and Melissa reside. Looming over it all is Melissa’s drug dealer ex-boyfriend Justin, played by Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, The Boondock Saints), who starts to show up to antagonize Melissa and cross Richie. Things shake up even further when Melissa realizes she’s pregnant with Richie’s child.

Sunlight JR. isn’t a complete miss, but it falls short in making the most of this small story. The audience is given a very intimate look into Melissa and Richie’s life. For the first half of the movie, though things look bleak, the couple seems oddly happy through it all. What would be a miserable experience for most is celebrated as small victories. Watts and Dillon feel approachable and real. The ways the two interact give a sense that they actually care about each other despite their quite obvious (and harmful) flaws. But the story never feels like it comes to fruition. What at first is endearing in how characters react unexpectedly to developments soon becomes bewildering. In situations where Melissa and Richie should be scared, they seem content. In situations where they should be heartbroken, they seem ambivalent. There’s inconsistency with how they handle each issue, so it’s no surprise when their lives fall apart bit by bit.

The Justin character is built up to be a main antagonist, but is more used as a fleeting plot device, which is a shame.  Reedus plays the rule with just the right amount of “villain” and “asshole,” but the audience never gets to see Justin’s motives outside of him just wanting to abuse Melissa. In contrast to this underplayed character, the score by indie-guitar legend J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) is quite literally overplayed. Though the twang-tinged guitar tones Mascis lends to the soundtrack capture the feeling of a sweltering Floridian summer, the main theme is played so many times and so loudly that it distracts from the scenes. Beautifully shot scenes of lower-class suburbia is missed with hearing the same guitar line repeated relentlessly.

Sunlight JR. is heartbreaking in theory, but ultimately plays out like a disjointed soap opera. The cinematography, acting, and setting are all there, but the story doesn’t feel fleshed out quite yet. Watts, Dillon, and Reedus deliver with great characterization, but the set-up never delivers. In the end, there’s only frustration at the characters’ actions and the question, “so what?”

Sunlight Jr. is currently playing at the Sundance Cinema in the University District.

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