Sugar Town (1999)

Directors:

Allison Anders
Kurt Voss

Writers (WGA):

Allison Anders (written by) &
Kurt Voss (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 2001 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

The best place to be.

Plot:

Unimpassioned look at the lives of struggling L.A. scene rock stars follows main character, Gwen (Jade Gordon)...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Music Producer | Drug Rehabilitation | Adultery | Pregnancy

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Jade Gordon	...	Gwen
John Taylor	...	Clive
Michael Des Barres	...	Nick
Martin Kemp	...	Jonesy
Larry Klein	...	Burt
John Doe	...	Carl
Lucinda Jenney	...	Kate
Marion Moseley	...	In Utero Baby
Veronica Nommenson	...	Violet
Elena Nommenson	...	Rose
Amelia Nommenson	...	Daisy
Ally Sheedy	...	Liz
Nicholas Walker	...	Masseuse
Rosanna Arquette	...	Eva
Jeffrey McDonald	...	Kevin (as Jeff McDonald)

Also Known As:

Untitled Anders-Voss Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, some drug content and sexuality.

Runtime:

92 min | Argentina:92 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

France:U | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The three girls that played the Carl's daughters are John Doe's children in real life.

Soundtrack:

Manic Kraut Rock

A pleasant surprise

I must admit that I'd never heard of this movie before I came across it at Blockbuster. I decided to pick it up for the cast, not being a particularly big Anders fan. I was rewarded with a low-key, funny and enjoyable 90 minutes. Perhaps it was the short filming period (and I suspect a fair amount of ad libbing by the cast), but the thing I liked best about this movie was that everyone seemed so relaxed and natural. In many cases, I'm sure the performers were less acting and more riffing on their own lives and those of people they've encountered over the years. With the exception of the two "blond ambition" wannabes, everyone in the movie exhibited at least some redeaming characteristics. While I won't say I was particularly drawn to any of the characters, neither was I repulsed by any of them. They all seemed more or less products of their past lives, with the inevitably warped perspective living the "star" lifestyle brings. All in all, a fun way to spend an hour and a half.