It is scary to think that the diet that many people have now can lead them to develop things like cancer and Alzheimer’s, diseases you don’t want to watch anyone experience. 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. They've obviously done their research on the Major League farm system and the men who pass through it; at some level, this entire tryout process is for the benefit of a fan in the grandstands with a wise-ass opinion about the "new kid." Plot Keywords Shockingly, he maintains that he would still drink Mountain Dew after the procedure. The movie poster features the Centennial Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River, at Davenport. Brief, educational mentions of sex in the context of describing the body's chemical reaction to ingesting processed sugar. Other than a few contextual references to sex and drugs (cocaine), one gory yet impactful dental-surgery scene, and occasional shots of Gameau in just his underwear (as well as a scene featuring a bikini-clad woman pouring soda all over herself), parents will find this movie to be a compelling, eye-opening journey for viewers of all ages. By … American teams maintain elaborate Dominican training facilities, send talent scouts to local leagues and keep recruits under close watch: Room and board is provided, there are security guards to enforce discipline, the kids get a few days off once in a while. Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. Encourages challenging the status quo regarding the food we consume -- and thinking about what it means to actually live healthily. What are the negative repercussions of consuming too much sugar? They know their baseball. Protagonist/narrator Damon sets a positive example of healthy living. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. THAT SUGAR FILM is one man's journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar. | To his family, who lost their father years before, Miguel is their hope and shining star. "2008 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Competition", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sugar_(2008_film)&oldid=984570910, Films about immigration to the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 October 2020, at 20:34. Although the film continually calls out specific brand names -- like Mountain Dew and Coca-Cola -- as those that exploit consumers with their processed sugar products (as well as others that claim to be healthy while hiding lots of sugar), there's no way it could be considered product placement. Through this entertaining and informative journey, Damon highlights some of the issues that plague the sugar industry, and where sugar lurks on supermarket shelves. His neighbors gather to welcome him back for the weekend; the children ask him for extra baseballs or an old glove. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). Miguel's play falters, and the increased isolation begins to take its toll on him. Parents need to know that That Sugar Film is a quirky, energetic documentary that follows Australian TV star Damon Gameau through a 60-day lifestyle experiment that reveals potentially shocking truths about foods often perceived as "healthy" by society. Add These Speakers to Instantly Upgrade Your Home Theater, Fiat Chrysler’s Design Lead on the Future of Cars and Why the Industry Gets a ‘D’ for Diversity, Smaller Conferences Ready for Basketball With Limited Testing Resources, Warm Any Room of the House with the Best Portable Heaters of 2020. In terms of documentaries about the food industry, That Sugar Film is one of a kind. As his dream begins to fall apart, Miguel decides to leave baseball to follow another kind of American Dream. Film Review: ‘That Sugar Film’ Multihyphenate Damon Gameau becomes a human lab rat in this peppy and informative documentary about the hazards of excessive sugar consumption. ("You've been dropping your arm," Helen tells him, and Sugar doesn't disagree.). Informative, engrossing docu about saying no to sugar. In a nut shell, it’s a vibrant, highly engaging documentation of a 60 day sugar binge that will leave you questioning many aspects of the way you view food and its role in our body and our health. The filmmakers are too observant to settle for a quick, conventional payoff. 3:09 PM PDT 6/28/2015 by Stephen Dalton FACEBOOK; TWITTER; EMAIL ME; Courtesy of Madman Production . As Gameau plays fast and loose with his own health, he also provides a short capitalist history of sugar and shows how it infiltrates the West’s contemporary diet and culture, while celebrities such as Stephen Fry and medical experts chime in with pertinent information. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Stoke kids' love of reading with great summer stories, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews, 6 formas de usar los medios para que los niños mantengan el español, Wide Open School: recursos para el aprendizaje a distancia, Which Side of History? This is a wonderful film. Entertaining for kids, solid information for parents and making a good point. The film's eccentric style/tone and Gameau's lighthearted mannerisms will keep tweens and older engaged, while its informative facts about history, biology, and general health and wellness will help viewers learn a ton about refined sugar. © Copyright 2020 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. And by the end of the experiment, Gameau notes that his body has adapted to the new diet -- and its accompanying mood swings and headaches. Under the close watch of a team of doctors and a nutritionist, Gameau begins eating foods that are usually perceived as "healthy" by the general public, abstaining from any overtly sugary soft drinks or candies. The website's consensus reads, "Sugar is an exceptionally-crafted film — part sports flick, part immigrant tale — with touching and poignant drama highlighted by splendid performances. Quirky documentary about food industry engages, educates. Your privacy is important to us. 1 thought on “ Bad Sugar ” Zach Tigani on July 15, 2012 at 9:25 pm said: A possible solution to this problem depends on if the research that the scientists reported is true. Jorge (Rufino), a veteran player and the only other Dominican on the team, also tries to help Miguel learn the ropes. Damon Gameau embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as 'healthy'. | As the experiment progresses, Gameau's health, energy levels, and daily mood decline, while his weight and waistline increase. One scene depicts a teenager’s dental surgery in gory detail: All of his teeth are removed due to severe damage from drinking sugary sodas as a kid. Remembering a day when Sammy Sosa was booed at Wrigley Field, I see it now in a wholly new light. Are documentaries obliged to be objective? Sugar is a 2008 sports drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. As a result, Gameau gained weight, grew lethargic, and developed fatty liver disease. Join now. . Probably more. My love of self had certainly been applied Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. 25 Oct. 2020. Baseball seems, in fact, a friendly if realistic destination, an income where there was none before. He is assigned to their Single A affiliate in Iowa, the Swing. Fast-paced, entertaining and informative, “That Sugar Film” is a cautionary tale about the hidden sugar content in everyday food products, the health problems that high sugar consumption creates, and the food industry’s deliberate efforts to obfuscate the sugar content of various products as well as the ingredient’s addictive power. Get listed in the most prominent screenplays collection on the web! In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.77/10 based on 136 reviews. Suggest an update to this review. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Big-name food corporations are compared to drug dealers and cigarette distributors. "Sugar" approaches with tender care the story of a kid from the Dominican Republic who has a strong pitching arm and a good heart. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free. Be the first to contribute! What makes the film persuasive? In his small village outside San Pedro de Macorís, Miguel enjoys a kind of celebrity status. Multihyphenate Damon Gameau becomes a human lab rat in this peppy and informative documentary about the hazards of excessive sugar consumption. On the team, he bonds with Jorge (Rayniel Rufino), a more seasoned player from the Dominican Republic, and Brad Johnson (Andre Holland), who is the same color but from a different world; if baseball doesn't pan out, he'll go back for an advanced degree from Stanford. Through this entertaining and informative journey, Damon highlights some of the issues that plague the sugar industry, and where sugar lurks on supermarket shelves. All of which makes him more than happy to return to his previous, sugar-free ways. All references to products are in a negative light. One man's journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar. Although ancillary biz is likely to outweigh theatrical, overall returns should be, er, sweet. Gameau also appeared in the Australian series Love My Way, the 2002 Australian film The Tracker, and in a small role in the US series How I Met Your Mother. Smoking, nicotine, and drugs (like cocaine) are discussed in the context of describing the addictive nature of processed sugar. Synopsis: One man's journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar. That Sugar Film Still - H 2015. The documentary is uneven and less entertaining than … But I couldn't. The film follows Gameau's experiment on himself, changing from his normal diet containing no refined sugar to a 'health-conscious' diet low in fat but high in sugar, equivalent to 160 grams (40 tsp) of sugar per day. While Miguel is on the disabled list, Jorge, his one familiar connection to home in this strange new place, is cut from the team, never fully regaining his ability following an off-season knee surgery. See our. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Synopsis submission guide. Parents: Set preferences and get age-appropriate recommendations with Common Sense Media Plus. Wondering if That Sugar Film is OK for your kids? With its peppy, pop style, complete with silly, colorful special effects and animation, this documentary should prove accessible to school-age viewers, who might profit the most from its frank information about sugar’s effect on their minds and bodies. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. The new vulnerability of Miguel's injury, coupled with the loneliness of losing his closest friend, force Miguel to begin examining the world around him and his place within it. He also has violent mood swings and an unwavering longing for more and more of the sweet stuff.