Sugar (2008)
87%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Sugar is an exceptionally-crafted film — part sports flick, part immigrant tale — with touching and poignant drama highlighted by splendid performances
Sugar is a movie that hits it out of the park! It’s not just a baseball movie, it’s an immigrant story that will tug at your heartstrings. The filmmakers did an amazing job of capturing the struggles and triumphs of a Dominican ballplayer trying to make it in America. The acting is superb, and the story is both uplifting and heartwarming. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’ll find yourself rooting for Sugar. This movie is a must-see for anyone who loves a good underdog story.
Production Company(ies)
AOI Promotion Fuji Television, Network GAGA.
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, André Holland, Michael Gaston, Jaime Tirelli, Jose Rijo, directed by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, written by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Matt Singer, Nicole Armour, David Parkinson, Ryan Gilbey, John Anderson, Lisa Kennedy, Joanne Laurier, Debbie Lynn Elias, David Harris, Sarah Manvel, Dan DiNicola, producer Paul Mezey, Jamie Patricof, Jeremy Kipp Walker, MPAA rating R, baseball, immigrant tale, Dominican Republic, American Dream, culture shock, racism, Iowa, small town, injury, tragedy, adaptation, opportunity, New York
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rayniel Rufino – Jorge Ramirez
André Holland – Brad
Michael Gaston – Stu
Jaime Tirelli – Osvaldo
Jose Rijo – Alvarez
Director(s)
Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Writer(s)
Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Producer(s)
Paul Mezey, Jamie Patricof, Jeremy Kipp Walker
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (138) | Top Critics (55) | Fresh (127) | Rotten (11)
Sugar is worth seeing not because it invalidates baseball’s meritocracy, or because it makes us feel guilty for enjoying the national pastime, but because it shows us with empathy and insight how baseball players are more than what they do on the field.
September 18, 2017
Matt Singer
The Rumpus
TOP CRITIC
Sugar’s personal achievement is uplifting-and it’s also cause for celebration when artists create just for the love of the game.
October 20, 2014
Nicole Armour
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This captures many moving moments and atmospheres in the diverse settings, bu the narrative arc isn’t quite as engaging as it could be.
May 9, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Just as Hoop Dreams had the urgency of great storytelling, Sugar exhibits the patience of the most penetrating documentary.
May 9, 2014
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Sugar, a baseball movie, an immigrant parable and a thoroughly entertaining drama that accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of putting a fresh face on the fractured American Dream.
March 20, 2013
John Anderson
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
Not only have director-writers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck crafted a poignant immigrant tale, they’ve made a sports saga rife with rare truths.
March 20, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
Sugar is a bittersweet commentary about the cutthroat path to the American leagues for Dominican ballplayers.
March 5, 2021
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
A hopeful story, a heartwarming story, an entertaining story…
November 15, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck could have created a cliché-ridden film…But the pair (who also made the teacher drama Half Nelson), are more concerned with humanism than proving that dreams do come true.
October 9, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
By refusing to “win one for the Gipper” or any of the other boring sporty standards, the directors have a lot to be proud of. By being a little bit bolder, however, they really could have hit it out of the park.
August 9, 2018
Sarah Manvel
Critic’s Notebook
Sugar is one smart, beautiful movie, and from where I stand, it is an instant classic with the guts and integrity to remain focused on a winning story about a flowering American-immigrant soul.
February 3, 2018
Dan DiNicola
The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
A raw and insightful film that will appeal to viewers who may or may not be sports fans.
January 8, 2016 | Rating: A-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…
Plot
A young Dominican baseball player named Miguel “Sugar” Santos dreams of playing in America, but faces culture shock, racism, and other challenges when he finally gets his chance to play on a single-A team in Iowa.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The lead actor, Algenis Perez Soto, was a former baseball player himself and had never acted before being cast in the film.
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