Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Sugar

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
21,662
333
Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
A drama centered on Miguel "Sugar" Santos, a 19-year-old Dominican baseball star who is given a shot in the U.S. minor leagues.
Play trailer2:06
6 Videos
93 Photos
DramaSport
Dominican baseball star Miguel "Sugar" Santos is recruited to play in the U.S. minor-leagues.Dominican baseball star Miguel "Sugar" Santos is recruited to play in the U.S. minor-leagues.Dominican baseball star Miguel "Sugar" Santos is recruited to play in the U.S. minor-leagues.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
21,662
333
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Anna Boden
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Writers
      • Anna Boden
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Stars
      • Algenis Perez Soto
      • Jose Rijo
      • Walki Cuevas
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Anna Boden
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Writers
      • Anna Boden
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Stars
      • Algenis Perez Soto
      • Jose Rijo
      • Walki Cuevas
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 37User reviews
    • 98Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos6

    Sugar
    Trailer 2:06
    Sugar
    Sugar -- Clip #5
    Clip 1:08
    Sugar -- Clip #5
    Sugar -- Clip #4
    Clip 0:35
    Sugar -- Clip #4
    Sugar -- Clip #3
    Clip 0:44
    Sugar -- Clip #3
    Sugar -- Clip #2
    Clip 0:32
    Sugar -- Clip #2
    Sugar -- Clip #1
    Clip 1:05
    Sugar -- Clip #1

    Photos93

    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, and Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Sugar (2008)
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Sugar (2008)
    Sugar (2008)
    Sugar (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Algenis Perez Soto
    Algenis Perez Soto
    • Miguel
    Jose Rijo
    • Alvarez
    Walki Cuevas
    • Alfonso
    Santo Silvestre
    • Umpire #1
    Emmanuel Nanita Carvajal
    • Reyes
    Cesar Emilio Minaya C.
    • Pedro
    Joendy Pena Brown
    • Marcos
    Kelvin Leonardo Garcia
    • Salvador
    Marcos Rosa
    • Sanchez
    Karl Bury
    Karl Bury
    • Rudy
    Zaida Alexandra Hernandez
    • Erica
    Lilin Soto Gonzales
    • Abuela
    Dioni Feliciano
    • Luis
    Teodosia Sanchez Reyes
    • Carmen
    Walky Alvarez
    • Sofia
    Letilier A. Foy Jr.
    • Jaime
    Victor Manuel Adon
    • Javier
    Raul Abraham
    • Floor Manager
    • Directors
      • Anna Boden
      • Ryan Fleck
    • Writers
      • Anna Boden
      • Ryan Fleck
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    You Can Count on Me
    7.5
    You Can Count on Me
    Iris
    7.0
    Iris
    Broadcast News
    7.2
    Broadcast News
    Win Win
    7.1
    Win Win
    Save the Tiger
    6.9
    Save the Tiger
    Defending Your Life
    7.2
    Defending Your Life
    For Love of the Game
    6.6
    For Love of the Game
    A Patch of Blue
    8.0
    A Patch of Blue
    Rush
    6.7
    Rush
    Half Nelson
    7.1
    Half Nelson
    Margaret
    6.5
    Margaret
    The Savages
    7.1
    The Savages

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Some of the last names of the Swing of the Quad Cities players in the film were those of actual players on the team. However, they were not portrayed by the real Swing players. During filming, the real players were still in their regular season and then post-season.
    • Goofs
      When Miguel is pitching to the Loons in the top of the fifth, the scoreboard already shows 0 runs. The score for a half inning is not registered until the half inning is completed.
    • Quotes

      Frank: Life gives you lots of opportunities. Baseball only gives you one.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Fast & Furious/Adventureland/Sugar (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Los Que Me Esperaban, Llegue
      Written by Tony Sugar

      Performed by Yoan Soriano

      Courtesy of Mambo Media, LLC

    User reviews37

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    About what is important in life
    The success of Latin ball players like Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, and Orlando Cepeda are legend but we never hear about the hundreds that fail, those who get lost in the system or are simply unable to handle the pressure of exorbitant signing bonuses or less than welcoming small town environments. In Sugar, writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, whose film Half Nelson from 2006 won numerous awards, have created a film about the problems faced by young Latinos in attempting to make the jump from the comforts of their home town environment to the major leagues. It is not just a movie about baseball but about what is important in life.

    20-year-old Miguel Santos (Algenis Perez Soto) is nicknamed Sugar - he says because he is sweet on the ladies but others have different opinions. Sugar is a pitcher at an American baseball training academy in the Dominican Republic whose recently developed knuckle curve ball puts him ahead of the pack. He is the idol of his family and the children in his home town but must compete with hundreds of others like himself for an invitation to a minor league Spring Training camp. Though the baseball academy attempts to teach the fundamentals of the English language, all the players seem to remember is "home run", "foul ball", "I got it", and the words to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

    Given his gifts, Sugar is invited to spring training with the fictional Kansas City Knights in Phoenix, Arizona. Eventually assigned to a Single-A farm team in Bridgetown, Iowa, he is light years away from his comfort zone. When he first sees his posted assignment to Bridgetown, Ia. he asks "where the heck is Ia (ee-ay)"? Sugar boards with a Midwestern farm family that has taken in Latino players in the past, but the adjustment is difficult. Sugar does what is expected - attends church, eats foods he is unfamiliar with, and says little but his only companion is Jorge (Rayniel Rufino), a fellow Dominican on the team who has remained stuck in Single-A ball because of an injury that refuses to heal.

    Soon his problem with language and customs begin to take their toll. He encounters racial slurs at a local nightclub and is confused when he receives mixed signals from the family's ultra religious teenage daughter Anne (Ellary Porterfield). When he is slow to recover from a leg injury sustained in covering first on a ground ball, his pitching skills begin to suffer as well. One scene highlights his sense of dislocation as he tries to make his way through a massive entertainment complex filled with flashing lights, video game machines, and bowling alleys. To try to regain his pitching form, he takes steroids but it only makes his sense of disorientation worse.

    His manager (Johnny Marx) is patient but he is paid to produce results and his sensitivity to Sugar's situation only goes so far. When Sugar asks teammate Brad (Andre Holland) what he would do if he could no longer play baseball and learns that Brad studied history in college, he begins to rethink exactly what he wants to do with his life. After Jorge heads for New York after being let go, the film moves in an unexpected direction, but never loses its intelligence and sensitivity. Soto is a captivating presence in his first acting role and the fact that he is also a skilled amateur baseball player gives the baseball scenes an electric authenticity. While Boden and Fleck show their love of the game, they do not hide their disdain for its exploitative aspects. No clichéd sports success story, Sugar is sweet and goes down easy but leaves a pungent aftertaste.
    helpful•20
    8
    • howard.schumann
    • Oct 5, 2008

    FAQ3

    • Is "Sugar" based on a book?
    • Is "Sugar" based on a true story?
    • Where is the Dominican Republic?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 24, 2009 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Dominican Republic
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • Spanish
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Untitled Dominican Project
    • Filming locations
      • Davenport, Iowa, USA
    • Production companies
      • HBO Films
      • Journeyman Pictures
      • Hunting Lane Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,082,124
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $60,140
      • Apr 5, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,144,438
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Algenis Perez Soto in Sugar (2008)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Sugar (2008) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Double Take: Celebrity Twins
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Back to top
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.