VividSimon Simply Perfect

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

bkoganbing This small budget Canadian production shot in and around Toronto has acquired something of a cult status due to the untimely death of its young star. Andre Noble as young gay male Cliff exudes a kind of sheepish naiveté as he turns 18 and seeks to explore his sexuality.The film is a character study of young Cliff who gets into the underside of the gay world in his coming out by hooking up with street hustler Brendan Fehr. The two of them help each other out in many ways until tragedy strikes on the film as well as in real life.Playing another street kid is former Power Ranger Jeffrey Parazzo. The former White Ranger from the Dino Thunder edition gets a chance to bare all for art.Only the fact that Andre Noble did not break into the big market with a popular TV series or big budget movie success has not gained him the fame of a River Phoenix. Accidentally ingesting some kind of deadly poison that grows wild in his native Newfoundland is one of the freakiest demises I've ever read about. Still Sugar is going to be his premature epitaph.No great production values in Sugar, but the cast performs well and knowing about what happened to young Mr. Noble brings an additional poignancy to his performance that could not be anticipated.

preppy-3 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.

teamgoon I was blown away by this film.So many of the characters reminded me of people I grew up with during my middle / high school years.. the drugs and all.There is nothing "pretty" or "whitewashed" about this film, It presents the audience with an accurate look into the lives of gay street kids & their lives.The way they live, love, and die...This is the kind of film I was truly surprised that a major chain like Blockbuster would carry.Wheither you're gay bi or straight, drug user, or straight-edger, there is something everyone can learn from SUGAR.

benc7ca I rented "Sugar" with some trepidation; all I needed was another low budget "seedy-side-of–life-coming -of –age-damn-he's-dead" story. I was surprised, no, I was elated to find otherwise. What makes this different from so many of this genre? Great acting, great writing, great directing. Wow, just like a real movie! This old story (young kid meets up with hustler and begins to sink to the bottom) has been told again and again and will be re-told again and again. There's something about archetypes here, some sort of shared mythology that just begs to be re-visited and re-explored. This movie is worth the visit. Brendan Fehr gives a masterful performance as the hustler and the late Andre Noble as the young explorer is wonderful. Some of the scenes are riveting, some endearing and one is unforgettable. I won't give more away, just rent this film and watch and learn