Product Details

• Actors: Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Andre Holland, Ann Whitney, Ellary Porterfield
• Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
• Writers: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
• Producers: Anna Boden, Denton Hanna, Jamie Patricof, Jeremy Kipp Walker
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002E01LOI
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,205 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Sugar" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An astute if low-key drama from the creative team behind Half Nelson, Sugar is an engrossing story about a young Dominican man who comes to the U.S. to play baseball, only to find himself pursuing a different destiny. Algenis Perez Soto plays Miguel, also known as "Sugar" because of his sweet appeal to girls. A dedicated ballplayer in the Dominican Republic, Miguel's family pins its hopes on his future success as a pitcher for a major league team. Miguel is recruited by a Kansas City club and sent to a farm team in Iowa. There, he makes a huge impression until injuring an ankle, after which his confidence is rattled and things go from bad to worse on the field.

Directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden shoot some excellent baseball action footage, including a magnificent shot that begins with Miguel on the pitcher's mound in silent prayer, then gradually opening to the fullness and energy of a ballpark just before an opening pitch. The story, however, is just as much about not playing baseball, about discovering life after old goals are more or less within reach. Throughout Miguel's highs and lows, we see him adapt, in dozens of small ways, to a new country--turning American, really. Sugar's final act unexpectedly shifts the action to a very different but logical locale. There, we witness Miguel making a different set of choices than the ones he always thought he wanted--becoming a whole person, with losses as well as gains, in the process. --Tom Keogh


Stills from Sugar (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Sugar is the inspirational story of Miguel Santos, a gifted pitcher struggling to make it to the big leagues of American baseball. Nicknamed "Azúcar" (Spanish for "sugar"), 19-year-old Miguel travels from his poor but tightly-knit community in the Dominican Republic to play minor league baseball in the United States - where anything is possible. He finds himself in a small Iowa town, where he struggles with the culture, the language, and the pressure of knowing that only his success can rescue his family.

"It's very real and has a really good message." -Pedro Martinez

"A great film!" -Robinson Cano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Standard DVD version is censored, September 22, 2009

By	Robert M. Gorman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The original theatrical release of Sugar was rated R, as is the Blu-ray version. Sadly, the standard DVD version has been censored in order to get a PG-13 rating. It is not obvious in the Amazon listing that the standard version has been modified, so beware. Buy the Blu-ray version if you want to see the film as originally released.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DVD version is BUTCHERED, November 17, 2009

By	Cody Clarke (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

PREFACE: This 1-star review is not of the film Sugar (as I have yet to even see it) but of the decision that was made to cut this film down from an R to a PG-13 for its DVD release.

Sugar was released theatrically with an R, and is on Blu-Ray with an R, but the DVD version has been sanitized into a PG-13 order to reach a 'wider market.' This so-called 'wider market' neglects grown-ups and teens who are allowed to see R-rated movies and don't own a Blu-Ray player, when in actuality, such a demographic is the WIDEST market!

Blu-Ray is not the standard yet. One day it will be, but it is not yet what the majority of people own. This was an atrocious marketing decision, as was the studio's decision to castrate one of the BEST-REVIEWED movies of the year.

There have been sanitized versions of films released on DVD in the past, but always alongside a separate unrated or theatrical version. However, this is the FIRST time, in my memory, that a sanitized version has been released on a format ONLY. Think about it like this-- this is the equivalent of Huckleberry Finn being only available abridged in print form, and only available unabridged on Amazon Kindle. It's insane, it's anti-art, it's anti-artist.

The word needs to be spread. Standing idly by will only mean more films receiving this same unfair treatment in the future. If you disagree with such practice, vote that this review was helpful, and post a review of your own.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Tale Of A Man Who Loves Baseball, August 20, 2009

By	Movie Lover (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Sugar was beautiful, heart-felt, and realistic. I loved the flow of the movie, showing Miguel "Sugar" Santos' journey, from his days in Dominican Republic to the US. It felt I was watching an actual documentary. You'll see him struggling with the language barrier, finding his own identity as a person while traveling in the U.S., being a "product" for the Minor Baseball League. Compelling and it'll make you wonder how the Major/Minor Baseball Leagues recruit these players, understanding the process of choosing certain players AND the politics behind it.

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are fantastic once again with the story-telling, dialogue and the care with research (back stories of real life ballplayers) to tell this story so perfectly. And the lead actor, Algenis Perez Soto was impressive, considering this was his 1st acting role. I highly recommended this movie!!