Dominican Movie Review

SYRR

Movie Review # 2

(Sugar)

The movie I chose was Sugar, the reason I picked this movie was because it is an introspective sports drama concerning a talented Dominican baseball player who wants to break into the major leagues and earn the money needed to support his family. Miguel Santos is a talented pitcher that has what it takes to earn a prized spot on a Major League Baseball team, but before that happens he'll have to prove his worth in the minor leagues. Furthermore, upon arrival into the United States' minor league system at the age of 19, Miguel is welcomed into a small Iowa home of his host family, but can't help but struggle with the language and cultural barriers despite the kindness of strangers. However, forced to reevaluate his life's ambition after his once trusty arm becomes unreliable, the previously single-minded pitcher gradually begins to question his role in life and in baseball.

In the beginning on the movie Miguel "Sugar" Santos, spends his weekends at home, passing from the landscaped gardens and manicured fields on one side of the guarded baseball academy gate to the underdeveloped, more chaotic world beyond. In his small village outside San Pedro de Macoris, Miguel enjoys a kind of celebrity status. His neighbors gather to welcome him back for the weekend; the children ask him for extra baseballs or an old glove. To his family, who lost their father years before, Miguel is their hope and shining star. With the small bonus he earned when he signed with the academy some time ago, he has started to build his family a new house, one that has a bigger kitchen for his mom and a separate room for his grandmother.

In addition, after learning a devastating knuckle curve, Sugar is invited to spring training by a minor league team called the Kansas City Knights. He is later assigned to their Single A affiliate in Iowa, the Swing. He is housed by the Higgins family, who take in Swing players every year. Jorge, a veteran player and the only...