From Adam and Eve to Jack and Ennis, there have been countless stories about what happens when lovers don't show a little self-restraint. What most of these have in common, however, is the authors manage to make the audience care about the two crazy kids whose actions spell doom for themselves and everyone around them. "Sugartime" - which I caught last night - is not one of them.
Her sister warns Phyllis that Boy Toy threatens their act. But the scene at the dinner table convinced me these two deserved each other. The set up is obvious: we're supposed to take their side by siding against Boy Toy's kid! Annette may be a brat, but she has every right to be upset. So how does Reverned McGuire's little girl handle the situation? By telling Annette, in so many words, to f*ck off!
Narcissistic bubble-head Phyllis is no prize, but neither is Annette's father, and not only because he has friends in low places. Sam is a vicious sociopath -- and that's his good quality! I was shocked the movie totally omitted that while he and Phyllis were canoodling, Sam had "friend" Judy Campbell bouncing like a ping-pong ball between himself and her "friend," JFK!
Then there's how Tony Accardo is depicted. Accardo ruled organized crime longer than any mobster, 50 years! Sam was never boss of the Chicago underworld, but merely Accardo's junior partner. To have him do nothing but sit around and bitch about "that dame" - and get yelled at by some goombah - is not only historically inaccurate, but (dare I say it) insulting to Accardo.
As if none of this were bad enough, the film makers didn't care about cohesiveness, much less, telling a compelling story. We jump from "1960" to "8 Months Later" to "7 Years Later" with no points of reference. I don't know which is the bigger crime: the girls repeatedly singing the title song off-key or that we're asked to care for Sam and Phyllis when they clearly could give a rat's behind about anyone but themselves.
Her sister warns Phyllis that Boy Toy threatens their act. But the scene at the dinner table convinced me these two deserved each other. The set up is obvious: we're supposed to take their side by siding against Boy Toy's kid! Annette may be a brat, but she has every right to be upset. So how does Reverned McGuire's little girl handle the situation? By telling Annette, in so many words, to f*ck off!
Narcissistic bubble-head Phyllis is no prize, but neither is Annette's father, and not only because he has friends in low places. Sam is a vicious sociopath -- and that's his good quality! I was shocked the movie totally omitted that while he and Phyllis were canoodling, Sam had "friend" Judy Campbell bouncing like a ping-pong ball between himself and her "friend," JFK!
Then there's how Tony Accardo is depicted. Accardo ruled organized crime longer than any mobster, 50 years! Sam was never boss of the Chicago underworld, but merely Accardo's junior partner. To have him do nothing but sit around and bitch about "that dame" - and get yelled at by some goombah - is not only historically inaccurate, but (dare I say it) insulting to Accardo.
As if none of this were bad enough, the film makers didn't care about cohesiveness, much less, telling a compelling story. We jump from "1960" to "8 Months Later" to "7 Years Later" with no points of reference. I don't know which is the bigger crime: the girls repeatedly singing the title song off-key or that we're asked to care for Sam and Phyllis when they clearly could give a rat's behind about anyone but themselves.