Sugar follows a guy from the Dominican Republic as he plays baseball and ultimately makes it to the big leagues. Right from the get-go this is a boring movie. From the way it's shot down to the content it chooses to begin with, it really just isn't at all interesting. For the longest time this movie is a total drag to sit through. It does pick up towards the last two acts, but even then it really isn't anything worth mentioning. The acting on the part of one of the actors in particular, whose name I don't even know, is terrible. She's so cringe-inducing to watch on screen, and I really hope she hasn't gone and pursued a career in acting. The rest of the cast is mostly fine, but again nothing worth mentioning. While the story as a whole is decent, it's so poorly developed that it's hard to get invested in. This may not be a valid complaint to some, but there was way too much baseball in this movie. I know that's the central theme, but there's a difference between a movie and a baseball game, Sugar leaning closer to the latter. There's very little drama or characters of any kind in between. And no, the occasional phone call home doesn't really count, especially when it's just a conversation about sending money or how much each person misses the other. There aren't any real characters here. I will say that the one thing that the actors did right was, when two characters couldn't speak the same language, nailing the awkward silence that accompanies conversations and the way they interact. As for the directing, it was really goofy. It was all done hand- held, which is fine when it works, but the camera man kept zooming in both suddenly and randomly on the actors when they were performing menial tasks. The directing choice to zoom in on something is usually done for emphasis, but here it's used during small talk and characters doing their job. It's just a little too goofy and frankly doesn't fit. Overall Sugar starts as boring and, while it does pick up, still manages to progressively get worse. It's poorly directed, performed and written. My guess is that I'll forget this movie in the next few hours, and in the end I wouldn't recommend it.

a movie that finally shows the true underbelly of what a Hispanic player who tries to make it in the USA's baseball machine goes through.When dumped into the mid-west with little or no real guidance and adaptation instructions, performing on the field is only a small part of success...Being a former baseball player and New Yorker who has played with many of these talented and cool people, I was touched by the depiction of what they go through, and the dignity and class they have despite the rough ride they go through...If you want a real baseball story, without the bells and whistles, then this is for you.Very well written, and very believably acted.Bravo!

This is one of those movies that seem to fall between the cracks. Little known, but one you'd hate to miss...especially if you like baseball. The best part of this film is the authenticity and the inspiration that comes from it. Miguel Santos(Algenis Perez Soto) is a 19-year old in the Dominican Republic, where baseball still reigns supreme. Miguel, nicknamed Sugar, is a gifted pitcher that throws a knuckle curve with power. Dreams of making it to America and the big leagues sometimes do come true for some. And when it happens it means a family actually has a chance of getting out of poverty.Sugar and many other hopefuls attend the Dominican's Kansas City Baseball Academy and with any luck can be called up to Minor League ball in the States. Sugar gets to make the trip to Kansas City's team in Burlington, Iowa. There he will struggle with the language, culture and pressure of having any degree of success to rescue his family.This poignant and very believable baseball movie also stars: Rayniel Rufino, Michael Gaston, Andre Holland, Ellary Porterfield and Ann Whitney.

Sure, the backdrop is about a Dominican trying to make the big leagues, but the film takes quite an unexpected turn, and pretty much stays there. Definitely not a typical Hollywood ending by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that's why I liked it so much.The guy playing Sugar does a heckuva job. I read somewhere that he was a former ballplayer, and maybe that's why his performance seems so spot on. Still I know my rating of "6" is not a very favorable one. It's definitely worth a look if you're already interested. But if not, I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. It's decent, but nothing special.