The Worst Film Ever

one of my absolute favorites!

An Exercise In Nonsense

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

From the New York Times of 27 June 2007, about a just released batch of CIA documents."One technician was arrested in 1960 after trying to bug a Las Vegas hotel room. The operation had been requested by Sam Giancana, the Chicago mobster, who was then helping the C.I.A. in a plot to assassinate Mr. Castro. Mr. Giancana had been concerned that his girlfriend, the singer Phyllis McGuire, was having an affair with the comedian Dan Rowan, and surveillance was ordered to "determine the extent of his intimacy" with her."I think this is a 'telling' incident on several fronts.

The real Sam Giancana was short, bald, old, and ugly. In my idealistic 20s I couldn't understand what Phyllis McGuire saw in him. If he had looked more like John Turturro, it would have made sense. Now, in my cynical 70s, I can see it was the butterscotch Cadillac convertible and probably a few other baubles, plus the seductive allure of being the mob boss's girl. Why didn't they use recordings of the real McGuire Sisters? They were pretty good singers, much better than whoever dubbed the songs in this movie. Still, the film is interesting because all these details didn't come out until long after the trio's stardom had faded.

I really like this movie. If you like bio/dramas , this is great. If you like mobster movies , this is a good story. If you're into history , this is a ticket... I totally recommend this film to anyone who has not seen it and has an interest in any of the above catergories mentioned. I havent ever seen John Turturro in anything other than this movie - and in my opinion - he is brilliant as Sam Giancana - almost makes you love Sam. Great flick! Rent it! Borrow a friend's copy!!See it!!!

John Turturro and Mary-Louise Parker portray in fine fashion a mobster and his 60s pop-singer girlfriend. One can only speculate as to the factual accuracy of this insightful film about Sam Giancana and Phyllis McGuire. However, the film's repeated images of mobster brutality juxtaposed with a love story is chilling. This is a central theme in most mobster-genre movies, but it's not worn out here. "Sugartime" is one of the best of its genre.