I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Miguel 'Sugar' Santos is a 19 year old Kansas City organization prospect in Dominican Republic. His father is dead and he's the great hope of the family. He spends his money to upgrade his family home. Everybody expects big things to come. He is sent to America and rises in the farm system. He stays with the Higgins and falls for their daughter Anne (Ellary Porterfield). His rise stalls when he's injured. He struggles and even tries performance drugs. Eventually he quits and leaves for New York.It's a nice slice of life. It's a great poverty stricken struggle in the baseball world. Algenis Perez Soto isn't really an actor which works in this case. The turn in the third act throws me off a little but it ends with a great scene. The unexpected turn also adds a sense of unpredictable reality. This is a great indie.

In 'Sugar', writer and director duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have created a film that not only appeals to a wide audience but also plays on the heartstrings of American culture.The portrayal of The American Dream as seen through the eyes of an outsider is an incredible insight into the fragile nature of the world. Far away from home, with a bare knowledge of the language, Miguel 'Sugar' Santos is trying to make his baseball dream come true, not just for him but for his whole family.Although much of the film is subtitled, somehow this language barrier slips away and 'Sugar' becomes a mainstream American film, finally a foreign language film that appeals to the masses.Whether you're a redneck truck driver or a uptown lawyer, we can all relate to the character of Miguel, we can all understand the daily struggles of trying to make your way in life, of having a dream and fighting for it.Sugar is a film with real integrity and truth. It loses pace at times but that hardly seems to matter as Miguel Santos earns his place in the heart of the audience, a great performance from actor Algenis Perez Soto.A must watch film.

I watched this movie because i am a self confessed sports movie sucker nearly anything with sport involved i will probably like and this film is no different. Don't get me wrong though this is so much more than a sports film about the player who wants to make it, its more of a documentary style film telling of the story of the immigrant looking for the American dream. This film is so achingly beautiful in its presentation and storytelling style that i found it simply sunning and a true presentation of the major league farm system and a young mans journey through its brutal system.This film was one of the most beautiful film i have seen in a long time and a complete masterpiece of modern understated cinema.P.S. if you like this style of film please watch 'Chop Shop', 'Boy-A', 'Half Nelson', 'Goodbye Solo' and 'Into The Wild'.

Did you ever watch a movie and think, "Eh, this is okay but nothing great" and then, when it was over, you said, " "Wow, that was really good!?" That's "Sugar," a film you may not quite appreciate how good it is until it's over, and then you think about it for awhile.What made it so good, I thought, was the amazing realism with the dialog. If I hadn't read that this was movie with actors, I would have sworn I was watching a documentary.We follow a young guy from the Dominican Republic about 19 who is hoping to become a Major League baseball player. If you follow baseball, you already know there are a lot of good players from the Dominican. "Miguel 'Sugar' Santos," played by first-time actor Algenis Perez Soto is a pitcher in the Kansas City organization, but most of the baseball in seen in a small town in Iowa, where Santos is assigned to play Class A ball as his first stepping stone to the Major Leagues. In one scene, I saw a sign on a business that said "Davenport" and the ending credits list Quad Cities as a place of filming. It's in Eastern Iowa right on the Mississippi River.In the last 40 minutes, the film takes place in New York City as our ballplayer gets discouraged and takes a bus to The Big Apple to see his friend and to see Yankee Stadium, where he has dreams of playing. This film does not have the normal successful-happy ending, and that makes it all the more realistic. It's not a sad ending, either, as our hero makes do with what he has and gets help from some nice people....and simply gets on with his life and plays baseball simply for the joy of it on weekends.The best part of this film, I thought, was the realistic dialog that went with that realistic story. Everybody from the ballplayers, to the Higgins family in Iowa who housed "Santos," to the Iowa manager and the all the folks he met in New York City all sounded like the real deal. This movie does not have the feel of something made up; it looks and sounds very authentic.Although made for an Hispanic audience, with most of the language in Spanish, it also was for North Americans, to open our eyes what it's like for all these Latin American players who come to the states to play professional baseball and can't speak English. This is baseball's version of "Lost In Translation."Yes, the story has a few flaws and it's slow at times, but its definitely worth watching and can lead to some interesting discussions.