Sugar Daddy

I was expecting something sufficiently sleazy, scandalous and cautionary, a la LMN fare, but this film is anything but. It's got a lot going for it: a highly charismatic leading lady, some wonderful experimental music, some fantastic camerawork, a strong supporting cast, thought-provoking dialogue and an intelligent plot. I would have given it a 10 if there'd been a bit more backstory, but this was definitely time worth spent. I'm eager to see more films from Ms. McCormick.

Initially I was lured in to watching the 2020 drama movie "Sugar Daddy" given the relatively high rating that the movie had scored here on IMDb; which was as 7.5 on April 6th, 2021. Sure, I hadn't even heard about the movie, nor did I know what it was about. But the title of the movie and the high rating made me have an interest in it. So of course I sat down to watch it.

While running at 99 minutes, this movie was incredibly slow paced. It was so slow paced that it felt like a 180 minute movie. I have never sat through anything that mind-numbingly slow before. And it made the movie suffer terribly from it. In fact, I gave up on the movie with just 17 minutes left to watch. But at that time I was so bored senseless that I just didn't care about the movie anymore, nor did I care about the storyline or characters.

The storyline told in "Sugar Daddy" does have some interesting aspects to it, but it was just way too mundane and devoid of interesting things. The storyline was suffering so terribly from having virtually nothing interesting taking place as the movie trotted on at an unfathomably monotonous pace.

It should be said, though, that the acting performances in the movie were actually quite good. I am not overly familiar with actress Kelly McCormack, but she really put on a strong and believable performance in "Sugar Daddy". Just a shame that the pointless script and storyline held her back. It was also nice to see Colm Feore in the movie, as he delivered a good performance - which he has a tendency of doing in whatever he is in. But again, the lack of a proper script was just serving as an anchor around his legs.

The storyline, as written by Kelly McCormack - whom also starts in the movie herself - was just something that fell short of entertaining me. The movie started out adequately, but the air quickly left the deflating storyline and I was left with something that proved less than enjoyable and entertaining. Needless to say that it was an ordeal to sit through this movie.

My rating of director Wendy Morgan's 2020 movie lands on a mere two out of ten stars, and that is based solely on the acting performances, because the storyline was just a swing and a miss. And with just 17 minutes left to watch of the movie, I can honestly say that I am not returning to finish the movie, because I just have lost all interest in the storyline and character alike.

This movie is incredible. The characters are so real and flawed but some are awesome. Amazing film with loads of villains of the story and a beautiful arc. 98 minutes of a real artistic vision and a good story.

This movie really surprised me. I had low expectations perhaps. A strong all Canadian cast that normally play supporting roles; a debut writing effort; and a single poor review at the time I watched this. But something pulled me in anyway. I was intrigued to see how Kelly McCormack would be in a lead role as I had only ever seen her as a supporting actor in a SciFi series (Killjoys).

I was truly blown away. Kelly is an amazingly talented performer. Not just in her acting skills but her singing and writing too. The story line was strong and well paced; the cinematography and production well done and the music was perfect. I was drawn into Kelly's character, Darren, feeling the angst she was going through. I was doubly surprised when I realized Kelly was performing her own music.

I do suggest watching this on a big screen with good speakers.

Now if you are expecting some seedy movie about sugar daddies and sugar babies, it isn't that at all. It is just a backdrop to the personal journey Darren goes through which is brought to a solid conclusion.

While Colm Feore and Amanda Brugel were supporting actors, their performances were rock solid. Amanda's screen time was short being only in a handful of scenes but she was very present in this movie.

I am now a Kelly McCormack fan and I really look forward to her future projects.

If you are expecting some trash expose exploiting victim culture, you should turn away and go find yourself a bucket and cry your tears into it as you binge watch animal rescue videos. No judgement of course.

Kelly McCormack brings Darren into solid form. A constant mess juxtaposed on the narrow ledge of life and morality. Her performance of a train wreck is addictive. Darren is nervous, fleshy, transient yet heavy like a boulder on your chest.

The pace and the cuts have great direction. The cinematography matches. It is a slow burn, that leaves a mark.