I was really taken by how slick and emotional the film is, and by the striking lead performance for Algenis Perez Soto as the titular Dominican ballplayer, whose nickname is Sugar.

| Mar 25, 2025

Sugar is a bittersweet commentary about the cutthroat path to the American leagues for Dominican ballplayers.

| Mar 5, 2021

A hopeful story, a heartwarming story, an entertaining story...

| Nov 15, 2019

Writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck could have created a cliché-ridden film...But the pair (who also made the teacher drama Half Nelson), are more concerned with humanism than proving that dreams do come true.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 9, 2019

By refusing to "win one for the Gipper" or any of the other boring sporty standards, the directors have a lot to be proud of. By being a little bit bolder, however, they really could have hit it out of the park.

| Aug 9, 2018

Sugar is one smart, beautiful movie, and from where I stand, it is an instant classic with the guts and integrity to remain focused on a winning story about a flowering American-immigrant soul.

| Feb 3, 2018

Sugar is worth seeing not because it invalidates baseball's meritocracy, or because it makes us feel guilty for enjoying the national pastime, but because it shows us with empathy and insight how baseball players are more than what they do on the field.

| Sep 18, 2017

A raw and insightful film that will appeal to viewers who may or may not be sports fans.

| Original Score: A- | Jan 8, 2016

Sugar's personal achievement is uplifting-and it's also cause for celebration when artists create just for the love of the game.

| Oct 20, 2014

This captures many moving moments and atmospheres in the diverse settings, bu the narrative arc isn't quite as engaging as it could be.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 9, 2014

The problem is that it is incredibly tedious and at some point very uneventful.

| Original Score: C+ | May 9, 2014

A familiarity with baseball is probably crucial to getting the most out of this quiet, absorbing drama.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 9, 2014

Just as Hoop Dreams had the urgency of great storytelling, Sugar exhibits the patience of the most penetrating documentary.

| May 9, 2014

The cinematic equivalent of an investigative Sports Illustrated two-parter.

| May 9, 2014

You get the perfectly calibrated story of one young man's travels, not just to the United States from his tiny island country but to the land of expectations that come with adulthood.

| Mar 20, 2013

I've watched thousands of baseball games and seen tons of baseball movies, but Sugar opened new doors of understanding and insight.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Mar 20, 2013

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the makers of Half Nelson, return with another subtly observed drama about a character on the outskirts of mainstream America.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 20, 2013

Sugar, a baseball movie, an immigrant parable and a thoroughly entertaining drama that accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of putting a fresh face on the fractured American Dream.

| Mar 20, 2013

Not only have director-writers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck crafted a poignant immigrant tale, they've made a sports saga rife with rare truths.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 20, 2013

The camera is on Sugar the whole time, but the faux-documentary approach keeps him out of reach in all the ways that really matter.

| Mar 20, 2013