Unspooling in the Cannes market three years after filmmaker John Sayles' 1999 main Competition entry "Limbo" got ambushed by critics, "Sunshine State" is a superb return to form for one of filmdom's most prolific writer-directors. Shifting his attention from the uncertain shores of Alaska to the ever-evolving beach communities of Florida, Sayles and an excellent cast examine modern American lives, values, dreams and shortcomings with verve, honesty and a respect for the seemingly lost art of everyday conversation. Destined to be one of the director's more fruitful hits at the boxoffice, "Sunshine" is lengthy and leisurely.

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