Sugar is a baseball movie, but Sugar is also not a baseball movie. It’s no secret across the globe that players often “defect” from their home countries for a shot to be a professional anywhere in the United States. Miguel Santos ended up just like everyone else, except for one thing…he gave up baseball to live a normal life. Let me tell you that if you don’t know Spanish or have a copy with English subtitles, Sugar will drag on and on. There’s not a whole lot of field action because this film focuses more on the culture shock these players go through more than anything else. Moving to a foreign land without knowing the language can be tough, so throw in the pressure of playing professional sports, knowing if you fail you’ll be packed and ready to be shipped back home. That life is either going to make or break people, even the strong ones. Sometimes it is truly better to listen to your heart and follow it, you just never know where you are going to end up. I can’t say whether it was dialogue, the lack of subtitles, or the story of someone who wasted their talent, I ended up not being a huge fan of Sugar. I actually don’t know if I am meant to feel sorry about that or not. 3/10
Ten Stars or Less 