Now showing at the Fargo Theatre’s Off Broadway theater is the celebrated Indy “Sugar.”

Posted By Fargo Reviews ~ 8th June 2009

First, about the movie.  Sugar is a nineteen year old pitcher from the Dominican Republic, one of the poorest countries even in Latin America, whose real name is Miguel Santos, played charmingly by Atteni Perez Santos(don’t hold me to strict accuracy on that first name).  Sugar attends an academy in the Dominican Republic put on by the fictitious Kansas City Knights.  Naturally, he is offered a minor league contract by the Knights, to pitch for the Bridgeport Swing, a Class A farm team.  There actually is a Swing, but it’s the Quad City Swing.  In fact, one of the billboards in the background of one of the baseball scenes advertizes that team.  So much for perfect cinematography and continuity.

Sugar is given a home with a straight laced protestant family(take note).  So that’s all the background I need to discuss the movie.

Now, there are a lot of Dominicans in the major leagues.  This movie ios about some that aren’t.  In fact, it’s not really about baseball at all.  It’s about culture shock, and Sugar’s ability to adjust, or lack thereof, to life in the United States.  Or so it would seem.  The plot is too complex, in my view, to make any sweeping generalizations, but, but I think it more interesting the total lack of understanding the kingly Higgins’ show toward Sugar, who does learn English rather quickly(the Higins’ don’t learn any Spanish, even though they have a history of taking Dominicans under their wing.

Well, that’s too much about the story.  I don’t want to sway another viewer’s opinions with my own.  The movie is slow paced, and the constant interacting of Sugar with other Dominicans, Americans and other hispanics complex and requiring attention.  The movie is pretty clean: not much foul language, a little drug use, but it’s not gratuitous: it’s important to the story.

This movie will not appeal to baseball fans looking for a baseball movie.  It is not a drug lord movie.  It’s just a movie about human relations, more like the movie “Class” than “The Rookie.”  If you need adventure or action, this movie is not for you.  If you like character studies and studies in human emotions and development, then I think you’d like this.

Acting:  B+
Script:   B+
Relevance: B+