MovieChat Forums > Sugar (2009) Discussion > Moral of the Story Seemed Negative

Moral of the Story Seemed Negative

posted 14 years ago by protolexis
18 replies | jump to latest

First off I just want to say that I really liked this movie. The only issue I had with it is that I feel like it sort of sent the wrong message at the end. Here are the negative themes I got out it:1) Never follow through with your goals or aspirations.2) Fear rejection3) When in doubt, just quit.4) Regret the past and just move on with new hopes and dreams.That look of his at the end really sealed the deal for me. I mean the look of regret was literally plastered on his face until he snapped out of it and just decided to move on. Again, I enjoyed this movie very much but these are just sort of the impressions I got after watching this film. "Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill 'em." - Woody Allen

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] stu-neff 14 years ago

Agreed. During his party in D.R. to celebrate his upcoming career in the States, he's hiding away working on a table. Quietly working on wood is his thing (when he gets to the States there's a scene of him wittling), baseball not so much.

[–] protolexis 14 years ago

No not at all, but this isn't some art house film. This is (mostly) a lighthearted film. Based on what was shown to the viewer for 2/3 of the movie and based on the tone taking that positive moral route would have been a better and more effective choice imo.

"Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill 'em." - Woody Allen

[–] ExPresidents 14 years ago

Something you need to understand--we are capricious people, all humans are. We think we know what we want, what our hopes and dreams are, but we don't. And neither did he, which is what he realized midway into his baseball career. The "follow your dreams" story is old, dude. I'd rather watch the crestfallen than the delusional.

[–] protolexis 14 years ago

Listen, I understand that concept perfectly, don't you worry; but what you're not understanding is that, again, this was a lighthearted movie. This wasn't some morose arthouse flick. Many people who saw this film were also surprised about how it ended. If I want to see the crestfallen, I can step outside my apartment, take the F train, and go up to Harlem or open my daily paper and read about the unemployment rate in this country. Movies are supposed to be about escapism and this was a lighthearted, good natured movie which could have given a positive message by the end but it really didn't. You want to see something morbid or depressing watch The Human Centipede, this movie on the other hand should have ended on a happier note.

"Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill 'em." - Woody Allen

[–] ExPresidents 14 years ago

If "reading about unemplyoment" is your idea of crestfallen then we have nothing in common. Try actually BEING unemployed and poor and sleeping in a dugout with a water bottle as a pillow.

I didn't get that memo, the one that said "all movies are supposed to be about escapism".

Also, I don't go into something thinking "Oh, the reviews said this was a 'lighthearted movie', I'm glad I know what to expect." I just watch them.

And one more thing, Grave of the Fireflies or Irreversible is far more depressing than The Human Centipede.

[–] protolexis 14 years ago

I totally know what it's like too as I am currently unemployed and I'm living off my savings. Sleeping in a dugout and using a water bottle as a pillow? I doubt you really know what that's like either tough guy.

I meant escapism in the sense that we watch film in order to not focus on the problems of our daily lives.

I didn't read any reviews about the movie prior to watching it but it was pretty obvious that 3/4 of the movie was pretty lighthearted. That speaks for itself. Then it takes a 180 degree turn...for the worse.

I've seen both GotF and Irreversible and it's your opinion that they're both "far more depressing." Frankly I could care less about your opinion, the point I was making was that you stated that you liked watching morbid $hit, so I merely gave that movie as an example.

"Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill 'em." - Woody Allen

[–] ExPresidents 14 years ago

I'm not even realing the rest of your post, after reading "I doubt you really know what that's like, tough guy".

I do, bro, and I have lived through worse. Remember, imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery---it's disbelief.

[–] protolexis 14 years ago

Yea I think the reason your claiming not to have read beyond that is because you either have no retort or you simply plan to reiterate some inane point previously made. Just answer me this: lets say you were homeless, why the hell would you use a WATERBOTTLE, something hard, tiny, and cylindrical as a pillow? You had to have been the dumbest, not to mention the least comfortable bum living on your block. lol.

Also, what's up with the lame quote at the end? Was that your signature getting mixed in with your comment, because it really made no sense in the context of this conversation.

"Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill 'em." - Woody Allen

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] protolexis 14 years ago

Tragic is not an adjective I would use at all. His situation is simply a case of wasted talent. Sure I think he should end up happy but don't you think in 15 or 20 years he'll look back and wonder "what if?". I know that's what a lot of ex-athletes do. They ponder, reminiscence, and always ask themselves that very same question. It's sad that he was given a gift and an opportunity people would KILL for and chose not to go for it. He loved carpentry? Fine! Awesome! You can always build a fvcking birdhouse or a wooden table on your day off!

"Join the army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill 'em." - Woody Allen

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] grayto 13 years ago

"He loved carpentry? Fine! Awesome! You can always build a fvcking birdhouse or a wooden table on your day off!"

And you can always play baseball on your day off. THATS the movie. When it was his job he never had the game.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] dullatron 14 years ago

protolexis, the ending is a bit indefinite and open-ended, but I didn't see a look of regret on Miguel's face -- I thought that was more confusion and uncertainty, stepping back onto the field for the first time in months, trying to deal with baseball being a game versus being a job, and really being on the brink of his new life.

The filmmakers could have done a better job in the beginning with the way I interpreted the story, but I felt as though baseball was never really Miguel's passion or dream. I felt like it was something he was pushed and groomed into doing from a very young age, but that doesn't necessarily make it his love. The dreams of elders can definitely get in the way of the dreams of those who are growing up. My favorite example of this is Todd Marinovich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Marinovich), groomed by his dad from infancy to become a star quarterback. Everything the kid ate, did and even thought was geared toward one goal -- his dad's. And Todd eventually snapped, getting into drugs and not fulfilling his potential in football and other areas of his life as well. On another thread here someone interpreted Miguel's saying "I wasn't going to wait for them to throw me out" as being about his talent level, but I thought that was clearly about his passion for the game -- or, rather, his lack of it.

Miguel clearly got a lot more fun out of working with wood and doing something noncompetitive for a living than working with a baseball. That's not to say he couldn't enjoy baseball on a recreational level, though. I don't expect to change your mind but that's just my take on this movie and character. However, the movie will be on cable again soon and I'll check it out once more.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] kairulez 13 years ago

I don't agree with the opinions that carpentry was his real passion. He just chose it in the end because he was afraid that he couldn't achieve his dreams. He liked carpentry after baseball.

Moreover, if you watch the special features, the story doesn't give any moral lesson in the end. It's just a story of hundreds of Dominican baseball players that come to US to achieve their dreams and how they end up doing something else and become illegal immigrants.

When you see the end, you can see the regret on his face. He knows that he is born to play baseball, and he is really good at it, but he just quit out of fear. And there is no turning back now. His chance is gone.

As they say in the movie "Life give you a lot of chances, but baseball only give you one."

He lost his ONE chance, but life gave him other opportunities. He lost his girlfriend back home, his mom was not really proud of him. Money didn't matter to her, she wanted her son to succeed in what he loved the most.

[–] MichaelDavid94 9 years ago

I totally agree. When the going got tough, he just quit instead of working harder. Then broke the law by becoming an illegal immigrant. Horrible ending, imo.