Sugar

Like other people, I was fearful this might be some primitive low-budget movie, but it was delightful. It's a good-looking movie, and all of the acting is extremely naturalistic and believable. There isn't a false note in the work of any of the actors. All this, despite the multitudinous examples of wit in inherently ironic and humorous scenes and dialogue.

I loved the unexpected bits of humor with the great Maury Chaykin, who was much the same, and equally delightful, in his roles in "Due South." And when Brendan Fehr is giving people the lines of bull they want to hear it is so funny and such a treat. I love the role-playing scene with all the dialogue about sports practice.

This has the edginess of Bruce La Bruce's own films, but, thankfully, this never crosses the line between transgression and disgust or repulsion. It's full of scenes and images I would never think of seeing or putting on screen. It's like seeing Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," for the first time. It's a new world, all fresh.

I had to turn the volume way up and rewind in order to catch some very quiet, very important bits of dialogue. This movie certainly combines the boisterous with the poetic.

And, yes, Brendan Fehr is insanely attractive and mesmerizing. I was worried whether I would like this for the first couple of minutes of the film, and then he came on screen and was there for most of the film, lifting the whole thing up. This is a real actor, bringing presence and intelligence to a role. He is, in every sense, magnetic.

I saw Sugar as part of San Francisco's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and TransFestival. This movie has it all: good casting, excellent screenplay, wonderful direction and spirit. The story revolves around Cliff who just turned 18 and has yet to experience life. He meets a hustler who turns his life upside down and in doing so learns valuable life lessons. Of particular note is the actress that plays Cliff's sister whose character is taken from Bruce la Bruce's own family! Sadly the young actor who plays Cliff died in his native Canada so this movie is his swan song. You will experience a wide array of emotions when watching this film I guarantee you. Highly recommended!

Cliff (Andre Noble) has just turned 18 and is a virgin...and is gay. He sneaks into the city to meet a guy. He runs into hot hustler Butch (Brendan Fehr) and (understandably) falls in love. Butch seems to fall for Cliff also...but Butch is getting addicted to drugs and threatens to bring Cliff down with him.

This is definitely not for everybody. It's fairly graphic--there's full frontal male nudity (not on Fehr or Noble though), drug abuse, plenty of sexual talk and has simulated sex acts performed with gusto. It's also one of the most depressing films I have ever seen. Still I couldn't stop watching. Basically it's a coming of age story about Cliff...but I found him incredibly annoying. I realize actor Noble died at a far too young age, but frankly I found his acting here fairly dreadful. His attraction to Fehr comes through but most of the time I couldn't figure out WHAT he was thinking...or playing. Also he looks just horrible through most of the film. On the other hand Fehr is excellent. This must have been a difficult role but he pulls it off brilliantly. He shows all sides of his character Butch. He's sometimes funny, sometimes cruel and, at the end, heartbreaking. Fehr has to pull off some explicit sexual scenes and does it wonderfully. He's also very handsome and has a great body. For those who care he does show his butt briefly. I found the character of Butch so much more interesting than the increasingly annoying Cliff.

The film is shot on video leading to a pretty grimy picture. The color is faded, some of the camera work is shaky and things aren't exactly crystal clear. The sound sometimes fades in and out too. Still this is a fascinating if disturbing movie. See it for Fehr. I give it an 8.

I just saw this movie last night, and I loved it. I am not a renowned movie critic, or anything, but I really liked this flick. I thought that the story was pretty good. Gay teens that have been through similar situations will understand. I really enjoyed Brendan Fehr's performance as well as Andre Noble's. I was shocked to learn about Andre's death, and I am sorry to say that I didn't get to experience him as a performer. I have seen none of his movies prior to this film. I heard that this film was based on a number of short stories, and now I am eager to read them. I have had a little experience with the kind of life that was portrayed in this movie, the drugs, the street life for a young gay teen that has no other asset than his youth and his looks. I think that the movie was true to the pain that this kind of life causes. I don't think that I can say anything else, except that I really enjoyed Sugar.

This goes into one of the ten best movies I've seen. I was blown away by every aspect of this film. The acting, cinematography, directing, and writing kept me enthralled and astounded through the mere 80 minutes of this film. Strangely, I rented this at Blockbuster, and I'm sure quite a few people must be unhappy with this non-mainstream rental. As someone who has experienced and seen the dark side this movie depicts without actually crossing over (much like the main character), I can't say I have ever seen a more realistic representation. I find the characters fully realized, and my hats off to all the participants in this film. It was edgy, non-mainstream, and risk-taking for all involved. I'm amazed and delighted (through turns of emotion) at this effort. Special congrats to Sarah Polley and Brendan Fehr for participating in this film.