Sunshine State

Filmmaker John Sayles usually has a lot to say in his movies, which explains why so many of them are dialogue-heavy . . . and which may explain why Sayles' film catalog remains a blur to the vast majority of U.S. filmgoers.

And Sayles has even more to say than usual in "Sunshine State" — which doesn't mean that his latest social commentary isn't compelling.

In fact, if anything, this well-acted, rewarding film provides continued evidence that Sayles remains a needed source of American cinematic conscience — he's become sort of a celluloid Mark Twain, if you will.

There are efforts here to provide socio-political commentary, but "Sunshine State" is also surprisingly funny (right down to the final punchline), which only serves to punctuate several of the filmmakers' points.

Thematically, the film takes a skewed look at real-estate development and efforts at "progress," through the eyes of several current and former residents of Plantation Island, a beachside Florida community.

If there is a main character, it's Marly Temple (Edie Falco, from HBO's "The Sopranos"), a world-weary thirtysomething woman who runs her family's hotel and restaurant, though she secretly wonders if she should sell both to developers.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Lincoln Beach, Desiree Perry (Angela Bassett) has returned home after spending years away, with her new anesthesiologist husband (James McDaniels) in tow. And she's still intimidated by her strong-willed mother (Mary Alice).

Not all the character threads and story lines are as well-developed as those two (bits involving Mary Steenburgen's "community-spirit" character are a bit flat). But stylewise, writer-director-editor Sayles continues to favor non-flashy camera work and eschews the currently popular quick-cut style of editing, which ensures involved and involving scenes that never feel drawn-out.

As expected, Sayles' smart wordplay and clever plot contrivances are as sharp as ever, though they may be overshadowed by some strong performances. As Marly, Falco completely eradicates any trace of her "Sopranos" character, instead emerging as someone who could have been the solitary focus of her own film. Bassett's performance may not be quite as strong, but it's still solid, as are those by the strong supporting cast (especially McDaniels and Jane Alexander, who plays Marly's mother).

"Sunshine State" is rated PG-13 for occasional use of strong profanity (including at least one utterance of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), racial epithets and crude sex talk, as well as brief violence. Running time: 140 minutes.

E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com