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O/T "Sugar" (2008)


Seems the fan posting has been a bit slow of late, trudging to the end of a deflating Cleveland Indians season like this one will do that though. So I hope you don't mind a post that is not directly related to the Cleveland Indians. I just finished viewing the baseball movie "Sugar" which was released in 2008, but only recently appeared available on my netflix account although I had queued it months ago before its release on dvd. Why I'm bothering to recommend this film isn't because I necessarily think its a great movie (it is a good one and kept me wrapped into the storyline), but rather because of the specific baseball setting that is presented within the film. The story is of a teenage Dominican Republic pitcher, Miguel "Sugar" Santos, who possess a solid fastball and developing "knuckle-curve", pitching in a Kansas City affiliated baseball academy in the Dominican. The film follows Santos as he signs a deal to come stateside and pitch in one of the low minor leagues. He faces difficulties both on and off the field, particularly the language barrier and the reality that only a minute group of players are able to advance through the levels and make it to the bigs. 

I figured I'd write up a little post about this film because I believe the typical LGT reader would really appreciate the setting and mode of the story. It touches on the experience of the majority of young players within the minor leagues and academies outside of the the U.S. rather than those already in the majors, which is not often presented in films involving baseball. Give this film a shot if you'd like to partake in October baseball, but don't want to numb your brain out to whatever "incredible" storyline the media creates for the Yankees v. Red Sox World Series.

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Highly recommended. As much an immigrant story as it is a baseball movie.

by malemodel on Oct 2, 2009 12:21 AM EDT reply actions  

I liked the film a great deal, too. The academy stuff was fascinating, and watching Sugar adjust to life in America was gripping, too.

I may not boo a young player again after watching this.

by JulioBernazard on Oct 2, 2009 8:19 AM EDT reply actions  

SUGAR: Eggs.
WAITRESS: How do you like ’em?
SUGAR: …Yes.
WAITRESS: Um, scrambled, over easy, sunny-side up?
SUGAR: …… French toast.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 2, 2009 9:04 AM EDT reply actions  

The later scene involving this is awesome, too (don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen the film).

by JulioBernazard on Oct 2, 2009 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions  

Really interested in this movie. Heard nothing but positive things about it.

It’ll be in my dvd collection pretty soon.

by JP_Frost on Oct 2, 2009 11:47 AM EDT reply actions  

Very good film. I think I read when it came out that it was considered one of the most realistic baseball movies ever made.

by matt7 on Oct 2, 2009 12:19 PM EDT reply actions  

It’s in my queue, but I’m on a gangster movie kick right now.

by JRontherim on Oct 3, 2009 10:24 PM EDT reply actions  

Thanks for the heads-up, Hans. I have to admit that it wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was a very involving, fascinating, and touching film nonetheless.

--
Force quit and move to trash.

by vbc3 on Oct 4, 2009 11:00 PM EDT reply actions  

I saw Sugar. I thought it became uneven once he left the team and I found his actions in doing so generally incomprehensible but that didn’t take away from my overall affection for the movie. Also, the fact that he had a foot injury, from which he fully recovers, and suddenly can’t pitch sort of miffed me as well. I guess there was no time in the timeline of the film to blow out his elbow.

Well acted and the baseball is excellent.

by afh4 on Oct 5, 2009 10:16 AM EDT reply actions  

I thought it became uneven once he left the team

Right? I was looking for a Fausto Carmona story. I still liked it.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 5, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions  

I’m not sure any movie producing company would allow for a true to life Fausto story to be written, they’d have to re-write the ending to make it happy and so that paying viewers won’t storm out of theaters crying.

by hans on Oct 5, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

Er, the Fausto Carmona Story that ends in the 9th inning of the Bug Game, I should say.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 5, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions  

Oh this story ain’t done yet buddy. We’re just entering the 3rd act.

Chugga-chugga chugga-chugga, Choo Choo!

by USSChoo on Oct 5, 2009 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions  

Oh great, he’s going to die.

by Brad D on Oct 5, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

…or join with the Autobots.

--
Force quit and move to trash.

by vbc3 on Oct 5, 2009 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

Exactly.

Chugga-chugga chugga-chugga, Choo Choo!

by USSChoo on Oct 5, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions  

anyone else picture fausto with grimlock’s voice?

by Brick. on Oct 5, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions  

I liked it, and it was very interesting, but like Andrew said, it seemed to stumble in the final act. Also, at no point did it completely suck me in. Sugar wasn’t the best protagonist, but at the same time that speaks to its realism. It was a good film, and a well appreciated vicissitude from the heroism in most baseball movies. Definitely worth seeing, but I think I built it up too much in my own mind before seeing it. There was some poignant moments regarding the language barrier. Those were memorable.

by JRontherim on Oct 7, 2009 11:40 PM EDT reply actions  

*were some poignant moments…

I’m going to hang myself.

by JRontherim on Oct 7, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions  

Yeah I’m sticking with it being a “good” movie, but not much more than that. I agree about the departure from making a “baseball hero” type story, i liked the realism as a change.

by hans on Oct 8, 2009 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions  

I thought that the movie was amazing and a great illustration of modern baseball.

The same people who wrote and directed this film also made a great little movie called “Half Nelson” a few years back. The story is about a privileged white guy who choses to teach in the inner city, but the movie opts for realism over a cliche feel-good storyline we’ve all seen. Sugar is by no means a cliche baseball movie and offers more enlightening social commentary than it does pure entertainment. Both are great films well worth a watch.

No, not you. Your helmet!

by PatBordersHelmet on Oct 9, 2009 12:47 AM EDT reply actions  

Wow, didn’t realize Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden both were wrote this movie too. Half Nelson is one of my favorite recent (past few years) movies. Also Broken Social Scene soundtrack fits the movie perfectly. Ryan Gosling does an excellent job in that movie I thought.

by hans on Oct 10, 2009 2:28 AM EDT up reply actions  

The final scene showing all the Latin players who were enjoying playing ball for the sheer fun of it, to me, was the point of the film. It was as though they had lost their way while trying to make baseball their profession, but had rediscovered the joy as amateurs. They seemed genuinely happy with their lot. We, as fans, tend to think it tragic when a young player washes out, but I didn’t get any sense of tragedy watching the final scene.

by elsandito on Oct 9, 2009 10:28 PM EDT reply actions  

There were two other shots that I think support this, the first happened very early in the film when Sugar was still in the Dominican Republic hanging out with some friends in the neighborhood near his home, and another character chimes in talking about making it to AAA Portland (Padres affiliate) and Sugar makes some comment about “what happened to him, he must not have been that good” (something along those lines), the shot/camera holds on this former players face which speaks of regret/loss/etc. I thought that was a very powerful yet brief moment in the film, which also served as a bit of foreshadowing whether intentional or not.

The second shot was near the end of the film when the Latin players in New York are playing and you see Sugar sitting on the bench while his team is at-bat, you see another moment almost like the player that made it to Portland’s where the facial expression and stillness seem to translate reflection on the loss of the dream, but unlike the earlier scene in the movie, Sugar snaps out of it and you see him smile and as you said he was there enjoying playing for the fun of it.

by hans on Oct 10, 2009 2:45 AM EDT up reply actions  

Rec for the effort.

by Jay on Oct 14, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions  

I just finished it. I enjoyed the film.

by gte619n on Oct 15, 2009 10:09 PM EDT reply actions  

You used four times as many words as Brick. No rec for you.

by Voltaire on Oct 16, 2009 3:43 AM EDT up reply actions  

Not even for clarity?

by gte619n on Oct 16, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

Well, since you asked.

by Voltaire on Oct 16, 2009 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions  

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