Review of Sugar (2008) by James E — 01 Oct 2009

First thing you should know is that I don't like baseball. I have never been a big fan, so the fact that this movie had me so intrigued is saying something. It's not just about baseball and it's definitely not something like a Ron Shelton movie.

It's basically about a guy trying to find his way to the majors from a poor upbringing in the Dominican Republic. It's a very bare bones, simple film and one of the things that excited me about it.

Not a lot as far as plot really happens, but it is more of a character study and also a story of trying to adapt to an entirely different world where at any moment you could be thrown back to where you came from because of something simple as a bad outing on the mound.

I loved the opening, but then it begins to drag in the middle with a stereo-typical "old white couple" and their pretty granddaughter taking the film down an unexpectedly ho hum route. Towards the end, I became more intrigued because it was a very realistic way of how this kind of story would end.

Very well shot and acted and I appreciate Ryan Fleck (co-director who also directed Half Nelson) sticking with his strengths. The only thing is I would really love if everyone would stop talking about Iraq in movies just to seem topical.