Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
2008 Movie
Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck · Dominican Republic, United States of America · English, Italian
A thoroughly entertaining sports drama that isn't just for baseball fans
19-year-old Dominican pitcher Miguel Santos, a.k.a. Sugar, dreams of making it into an American baseball team and pulling himself and his family out of poverty. He gets a chance to train for a team in Kansas, but on arrival struggles to be accepted in his new community.
Poignant and beautifully performed, Sugar is not the usual film about chasing the American dream, and it’s far from a typical baseball movie. It’s an honest portrayal, one that avoids sports-movie clichés in favor of an exploration of identity and the immigrant experience.
Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos dreams of winning a slot on an American baseball team. Indeed, his talents as a pitcher eventually land him a slot on a single-A team in Iowa, but culture shock, racism and other curveballs threaten to turn Sugar's dream sour.
"Poignant and beautifully written, directed and performed, Sugar confirms Boden and Fleck as eloquent chroniclers of the underbelly of the American dream."
— Jason Wood
Spirit Awards
1 nom
Sundance
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
The Staff is the editorial team at A Good Movie to Watch, contributing reviews, recommendations, and streaming guides across film and television. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, we track over 100 streaming services in the US. Founded in 2014 by Bilal Zouheir, the team is built around human curation rather than algorithmic recommendations.
"Sugar's personal achievement is uplifting-and it's also cause for celebration when artists create just for the love of the game."
— Nicole Armour