The movie was reasonably decent, though it was not particularly original. In essence it was about the downward spiral of Butch, a good-hearted male hooker who becomes increasingly dependent on drugs, and Cliff an 18 year old from the suburbs who, with the prompting of a birthday gift from his sister Cookie, heads for the "bright lights" of the seedy side of Toronto and managed to connect with Butch.The first part of the movie where we learn it's Cliff's birthday and that he's a bored & frustrated teenager in suburbia was a bit lame. His speedy journey to Toronto where he immediately locates the place where hustlers hang out and just as quickly connects with Butch wasn't very convincing. The parade of dirty old men replete with leers & fetishes, the one unfortunate obese woman Butch "serviced" and the other hustlers as background characters was undoubtedly meant to emphasize the pathetic people they had to deal with, but it also seemed to suggest that everything associated with the LGBT world was equally sleazy and low-life.The tragic though predictable conclusion for Butch followed by a rites-of-passage moment for Cliff was an unfortunate, soap-opera-ish denouement that was on a par with the mediocre start to the filmBut following the so-so start and preceding the amateurish ending … from the point when Cliff and Butch first paired up … the movie became more or less a two-man show with some excellent performances from Brendan Fehr and Andre Noble. Had the casting been different, the meat of the movie could easily have been far less successful and as bad as the opening & ending acts. In fact, the only reason to see the movie is to see these two perform … and also notable was the very convincing and able performance by Haylee Wanstall as Cookie.It is especially sad to know that Andre Noble died soon after the film was made. He was already a talented actor and would certainly have been worth following as his career continued.

This film is definitely not one for the faint hearted, nor is it blockbuster material. And yet, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought Sugar was phenomenally realistic and avant-garde. The cast was amazing. Noble and Fehr make a fantastic duo, the latter did a -great- job of representing the bad influence that your mother always warned you about. Noble shows his innocence on his sleeve so well, which feeds off Fehr's "bad boy" outer shell fantastically.I think the thing I most admire of this film is the sheer blunt truth of it all. Albeit a little odd, it reveals the struggle so many gays (even straight people) have gone through with eye-bludgeoning scenes and characters you see everyday in your hometown.Despite the outlandish outlook of it all, I find it unbelievably easy to relate to. Eight out of ten.

This movie was really really out there. There was a lot of implied sex in this movie it was ridiculous. Well anyways, I like a movie that's not afraid to show it's true colors. This movie shows the greatest of impacts on one's life. The lost of innocence and the power of friendship. I feel that this movie, (with it's gay implications) really gets a more in-depth feeling of the movies true purpose. Also through the expected ending, and the very cliché plot twists, this movie comes out proving to be more then just a "kill me now" movie. The acting was also quite moving also. This movie could of really used some transition. Every so often the screen would go black, and then everything would be different.

When leading "Sugar" Actor Andre Noble expired shortly after filming from ingesting that toxic Canadian flower, he joined a long line of thespians who passed away during or immediately after a film project.These include Massimo Troisi ("Il Postino) Robert Ryan ("The Iceman Cometh") Brandon Lee ("The Crow") Clark Gable ("The Misfits") and River Phoenix ("My Own Private Idaho") to name but a scant few.Whatever may have been the circumstances of these cases, it reminds one of the often precarious nature of total artistic commitment.When viewing "Sugar," evidence is of actors giving their all to their roles, especially Mr. Noble as the angst teen and Brendan Fehr as the seasoned hustler. It's certainly no fault of theirs that "Sugar" rather fails to deeply move most viewers.Trouble seems to be mostly in a script that doesn't seem to provide much depth into the characters' psyches, backgrounds, or relationships. One observes surface action, but seldom does one empathetically feel for these people.John Palmer's direction may likewise be termed "unremarkable," though it's evident that everyone's trying. It seems the makers got caught up in the dirt and decay of circumstances, without addressing the personal pathos and ultimate destiny of their subjects.Like young Lee and Phoenix, talented Noble's legacy must rest primarily on this film, and for that reason alone, "Sugar" becomes significant.