Brown Sugar (2002)

Friends since childhood, a magazine editor and a hip-hop record executive stumble into romantic territory.

Director:

Rick Famuyiwa

Writers:

Michael Elliot (story), Michael Elliot (screenplay)

Stars:

Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Yasiin Bey

2 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taye Diggs	...	Andre Romulus 'Dre' Ellis
Sanaa Lathan	...	Sidney 'Syd' Shaw
Yasiin Bey	...	Chris 'Cav' Anton Vichon (as Mos Def)
Nicole Ari Parker	...	Reese Marie Wiggam Ellis
Boris Kodjoe	...	Kelby Dawson
Queen Latifah	...	Francine
Wendell Pierce	...	Simon
Erik Weiner	...	Ren
Reg Wyns	...	Ten (as Reggi Wyns)
Melissa Martinez	...	Meghan
Aaliyyah Hill	...	Young Sidney
Marc John Jefferies	...	Young Dre
Venida Evans	...	Older Woman
Breece Wilson	...	Woman
Brette Taylor	...	Woman 2

Storyline

This romantic comedy centers on a romance between an A&R exec, Dre, at a hip-hop label and a magazine editor, Sidney, who have known each other since childhood.. They find themselves drifting towards being more than friends, even as Dre is engaged, and Sidney starts being wooed by a handsome basketball player.

---

Plot Keywords:

hip hop | record company | writer | basketball | rap music | 

---

Taglines:

The rhythm, the love, the beat...and you don't stop.

---

Genres:

Romance | Comedy | Drama | Music

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe are not only married in real life, but also play love interests on Soul Food (2000).

---

Goofs

When Kelby is picked up at the airport by Sydney there is a sign for the New York Knicks as he is getting off of the plane. Kelby plays for the then New Jersey Nets.

---

Quotes

Sidney 'Syd' Shaw: [narrating] I don't have to pretend with hip-hop... and hip-hop doesn't have to pretend with me.

---

Crazy Credits

Both "De La Soul" and "Method Man" are credited in the opening credits and not in the end credits. Therefore, the IMDb ordering uses the opening credits first and fills in the rest with the end credits.

---

Connections

Referenced in Tweek City (2005)

---

Soundtracks

Cloud 9
Written and Performed by Donnie
Courtesy of Giant Step Records

User Reviews

nice romantic formula with nice actors

Andre 'Dre' Ellis (Taye Diggs) is tired of selling out as A&R in a hip hop label. His lifelong friend Sidney Shaw (Sanaa Lathan) is more concerned about her career as editor-in-chief of a hip hop magazine. Their platonic relationship is thrown for a loop when he tells her that he's marrying Reese Ellis (Nicole Ari Parker). He tells her that men are looking for Brown Sugar, somebody sweet enough to marry and freaky enough for the bed. She's jealous of Reese and Reese notices. Dre and Reese get married but Reese is not that happy when he quits his job to start his own label. Kelby Dawson (Boris Kodjoe) surprises everybody by proposing to Sid. Sid and Dre discover Reese cheating on him.

This is a good functional romance. Sanaa and Taye Diggs are nice actors for the roles. I like Nicole Ari Parker in her role. The hip hop industry insider stuff has to be taken with a grain of salt even though there are a couple of musician actors. It follows a certain formula and that's perfectly fine. I really like the actors and that keeps my interest.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Used to Love Her

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,738,882, 13 October 2002

Gross USA:

$27,363,891

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,316,451

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Evergreen Productions, Heller Highwater Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1