The Sugarland Express (1974)
79%RT Audience Score: 66%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 5 nominations
Its plot may ape the countercultural road movies of its era, but Steven Spielberg’s feature debut displays many of the crowd-pleasing elements he’d refine in subsequent films
The Sugarland Express is a wild ride that will have you on the edge of your seat! Spielberg’s directorial debut is a true testament to his talent, and the cast is simply amazing. Sure, there are some critics who think it falls short, but let’s be real, they’re just being picky. This movie is a blast from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good road trip movie with a side of drama. So buckle up and get ready for a sugar rush!
Production Company(ies)
Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
San Antonio, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1974
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, Ben Johnson, Michael Sacks, Gregory Walcott, Steve Kanaly, directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Rex Reed, John Huddy, Kevin Thomas, Susan Stark, Elston Brooks, Joe Pollack, Stanley Eichelbaum, Susan White, John Simon, Yasser Medina, Dick Lochte, Ángel S Harguindey, produced by Richard D Zanuck, David Brown, PG rating, small-time crooks, Texas, highway patrolman, hostage, folk heroes, family, road movie, countercultural, Steven Spielberg’s feature debut, crowd-pleasing elements
Worldwide gross: $7,504,841
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $49,730,025
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,328
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,423,122
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.): $3,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $19,879,179
Production budget ranking: 1,372
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $10,704,938
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,145,909
ROI to date (est.): 63%
ROI ranking: 1,088
William Atherton – Clovis Michael Poplin
Ben Johnson – Captain Harlin Tanner
Michael Sacks – Patrolman Maxwell Slide
Gregory Walcott – Patrolman Ernie Mashburn
Steve Kanaly – Patrolman Jessup
Director(s)
Steven Spielberg
Writer(s)
Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Producer(s)
Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (7)
A highly winning entertainment.
April 20, 2021
Rex Reed
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
A work of depth and dimension.
April 20, 2021
John Huddy
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It is astonishing to contemplate all that director Steven Spielberg and his writers Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins, all of them in their theatrical feature debuts, have managed to accomplish.
April 20, 2021
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Engrossing to watch, it begins to work on you, to declare its claim to greatness, after a while. You’ll see.
April 20, 2021
Susan Stark
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
A truly delightful and entertaining picture.
April 20, 2021
Elston Brooks
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
TOP CRITIC
The picture stops being fun and becomes a slowly developing horror story, moving to an eventual and unrealistic climax with the stolidity and the implacable power of a glacier.
April 20, 2021
Joe Pollack
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
As vigorously entertaining as any film we’ve had this year.
April 20, 2021
Stanley Eichelbaum
San Francisco Examiner
The enjoyment in the film comes from the characters, and the actors as they developed them.
April 20, 2021
Susan White
Austin American-Statesman
[The Sugarland Express] has a certain cinematic knack, but is all effect and no real humanity, all manipulation and splash, and no attempt at honest insight.
July 28, 2020
John Simon
Esquire Magazine
It is a decent road movie, which falls for the most trivial melodramatic exposition that Spielberg uses to synthesize the meaning of sacrifice from the perspective of the American family. [Full review in Spanish]
July 15, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
Spielberg is a talented director who knows how to dazzle with fancy filmwork. His cast is an attractive one. The problem here is the script.
December 16, 2019
Dick Lochte
Los Angeles Free Press
A brilliant film from the young Steven Spielberg who was just beginning his career. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 14, 2019
Ángel S. Harguindey
El Pais (Spain)…
Plot
Lou-Jean, a blonde woman, tells her husband, who is imprisoned, to escape. They plan to kidnap their own child, who was placed with foster parents. The escape is partly successful, they take a hostage, who is a policeman and are pursued through to Texas…
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Sugarland Express features Goldie Hawn in the lead role of Lou-Jean Poplin.
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