Sugar

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Sugar

R

2009

1h 58m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

138 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto) dreams of winning a slot on an American baseball team. Indeed, his talents as a pitcher eventually land him a slot on a single-A team in Iowa, but culture shock, racism and other curveballs threaten to turn Sugar's dream sour.

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Critics Consensus

Sugar is an exceptionally-crafted film -- part sports flick, part immigrant tale -- with touching and poignant drama highlighted by splendid performances.

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Matt Singer

The Rumpus

Sep 18, 2017

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.

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Nicole Armour

Film Comment Magazine

Oct 20, 2014

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

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David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

May 9, 2014

3/5

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

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Christie Cronan

Common Sense Media

Jul 20, 2026

4/5

Heartwarming and heartbreaking, Sugar is a poignant film about the realities of pursuing a goal.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Mar 25, 2025

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.

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

Mar 5, 2021

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

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Scott M

@Skeeeeezo Aug 9, 2026

Sugar Santos contemplates the pursuit of the American Dream while navigating the pressure packed labyrinth of minor league baseball, pulling off the rare feat of a low budget but very believable professional sports story.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 7, 2025

Based on a true story in 1 hour and 58 minutes.

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KB B

@Okbullard Jun 24, 2024

This was an engaging sports movie with good acting and storyline. It had plenty of baseball but more than one heartfelt moments as well. It's definitely worth the watch.

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andrea c

@Charst Sep 7, 2021

Ascesa e declino di un giovane talento del baseball; "Sugar" offre una visione molto completa e personale del complesso mondo che gira intorno allo sport professionistico. Il protagonista purtroppo rende un po' troppo macchinosi alcuni passaggi per la sua estrema introversia. Reso molto chiaro il problema del cambio di lingua; ed il finale è molto interessante, specialmente l'ultima scena.

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Feb 25, 2019

Not my type of film.

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May 24, 2018

If you love baseball, you'll love this movie. This is the story of a Dominican teenager who is picked up by the Kansas City Baseball Academy in the Dominican, signed to a minor league contract, and sent to spring training in Arizona. From there we follow him to his first team, and watch him deal with baseball struggles, an injury, learning English and learning a new culture. It's a coming of age movie as well as a baseball movie, and I recommend it.

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Anna Boden

Director

Ryan Fleck

Director

Algenis Perez Soto

Miguel "Sugar" Santos

Rayniel Rufino

Jorge Ramirez

André Holland

Brad

Michael Gaston

Stu

Last Days

58%

50%

Last Days

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Wit

83%

91%

Wit

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Citizen X

86%

86%

Citizen X

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Explicit Ills

54%

39%

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Gran Torino

81%

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Synopsis

Like many young men in the Dominican Republic, 19-year-old Miguel "Sugar" Santos (Algenis Perez Soto) dreams of winning a slot on an American baseball team. Indeed, his talents as a pitcher eventually land him a slot on a single-A team in Iowa, but culture shock, racism and other curveballs threaten to turn Sugar's dream sour.

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Producer: Paul Mezey, Jamie Patricof, Jeremy Kipp Walker
Screenwriter: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: HBO Films
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 1h 58m

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