Sugartime (1995 TV Movie) User Reviews

What a mobster will do for love.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 19 August 2000]

Based on true events, but how accurate this movie depicts the facts is of question. This is a very interesting story. It does get a little slow in parts, and keeps you waiting for fever pitch that never arrives.

John Turturro plays mobster Sam Giancana, who while in Las Vegas falls in love with Phyllis McGuire, one of the singing McGuire Sisters. McGuire is aptly played by Mary-Louise Parker. Giancana stops at nothing in his whirlwind courtship of the sweet singer. The two become a big item and are summoned to appear before a Grand Jury in Chicago. Mobster Sam decides not to testify and goes to jail, ending up transfered to a Mexican prison.

Strong language runs rampant; this is a gangster flick after all. Your interest is maintained, but leaves you wanting to research the actual facts and events. Recommend for a lazy afternoon.

Good fact-based film

[nixxnutz · 6/10 · 10 September 2006]

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.

Decent Attempt at a True Story Concerning Love and the Mob

[bayardhiler · 7/10 · 1 September 2016]

She was a dazzling singer, part of a trio that dazzled the world over; he was a brutal mobster who lived in a world of death and violence. Sounds like an excellent work of fiction or the content of a good song, but alas, it actually is the real life case of the romance between Phyllis McGuire and Chicago gangster Sam Giancana, a story that is decently told in 1995's HBO film "Sugartime". Starring John Turturro and Mary Louise-Parker in the starring roles, it's a film that reasonably captures the 1960's, be it through the fashion, music, or especially the cars. The movie introduces us to the McGuire sisters, a song and dance trio that's taking the world by storm. While performing one night in a club, Phyllis, the lead singer, catches the eye of mobster Sam Giancana, and thus begins one of the most unusual relationships in pop culture history, as the two do their best to keep the relationship secret, but of course, it's only a matter of time before their secret affair is discovered, which will send their two worlds on a collision course they may never recover from.

While "Sugartime" may not be as good as say, films like "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas", it's not necessarily a bad film either. As someone who's done a lot of reading about Sam Giancana and the mob in general, I can honestly say the director and producers did a good job of trying to stay true to the original source material as much as can be possible in a movie. John Turturro does an fine job of bringing the persona of Sam Giancana to life on screen, bringing a sense of charm and charisma to the man but at the same time conveying the fact that violence and thuggery lurk just below the surface as well. Mary Louise Parker is radiant and wonderful in her interpretation of Phyllis McGuire, bringing a sense of Midwest charm to the character, and beauty too. Another bonus is the fairly well written dialogue of the film, particularly when it concerns Turturro's lines as Sam Giancana, which in some places, manage to be both foul, salty but somehow absolutely hysterically at the same time (Turturro's lines in the scene where Phyllis tells Sam she has to go to London and can't stay after Sam went to the trouble of building Venice, Italy on a lake in the Chicago suburbs comes to mind!). All that being said, the movie isn't perfect either, dragging in some places and at times, it feels that the combining of Sam's and Phyllis's two worlds was not as cohesive as perhaps it could have been. Also, those looking for a action-packed, blood soaked mob film might be disappointed, as the film covers more of the romance aspect than the gangster (That being said, the movie does contain a few particularly memorable, violent scenes). However, for anyone who has an interest in the mob and in particular, Sam Giancana himself, "Sugartime" is not a bad way to kill some time and take in a good story. And it's available on youtube. Also starring Elias Koteas.

`True' story of mobster's fall due to love

[bob the moo · 11 February 2002]

Sam Giancaca is the head of the mob that runs Las Vegas. When he meets and falls for the lead singer of a group `the McGuire sisters' he begins to drift from his day to day duties and finds his leadership compromised as the Grand Jury looms nearer.

This TVM is based on a true story - I don't know any of the characters involved so I can only take their word for that. The story focuses on the relationship between Sam and Phyllis rather than the activity of the mob itself - it has some crossover but not much. This makes it feel a little tame compared to mob films like Goodfellas etc. We never really come to understand Sam's lifestyle in terms of the violence it contains, I was certainly never fully convinced that he had blood on his hands. That said, it's still entertaining. The director gives many of Sam and Phyllis's scenes a good sense of wry humour that helps make it feel a little more acceptable. The downside is that it does leave you feeling that the mob side of his life (the main part) has been dumped in favour of the relatively minor love affair.

Turturro can't be bad even if he wanted to and he does create an interesting character. His relationship with Phyllis is not as full as it should be, so it's hard to accept his weakness for her, but he's good for the most. Parker is quite good as Phyllis, she deals well with the part for the witty romance, but when it comes to confronting what her man does she doesn't convince. Of the rest of the cast the standout is the always brilliant Elias Koteas - one of my favourite actors. My God but if the man can be good in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then he can be good in anything! Here he is OK but doesn't have a big part at all - of course I'm biased and can't help but single him out.

Overall this was enjoyable although I didn't feel I knew anymore about Giancaca than I did at the start of the film. As a lesson it fails, as 90 diverting minutes it has several good things to offer.

Turturro Gave a Great Performance

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 7 January 2006]

Remember when the McGuire Sisters were at the top of their careers and everyone was dreamy eyed at the fact they had wonderful voices on the Ed Sullivan TV Show and also their father was a Preacher. When the facts finally came out about Phyllis McGuire getting involved with a top notch gangster from Las Vegas, WOW it was the Shock of the Century in those days. John Turturro,(Sam Giancana), "She Hate Me",'04, played the role of Sam to perfection and when he met Phyllis McGuire's parents, he made a complete Ass of himself and it was quite funny. Mary-Louise Parker,(Phyllis McGuire),"Romance & Cigarettes",'05, gave a great supporting role and had some real funny scenes in a motel room with their sleeping arrangements and final love making. It sure is a nice entertaining film if you happened to miss seeing it.

Good Movie But Historically Inaccurate

[dennisbedard · 7/10 · 13 April 2024]

Despite its historical inaccuracies, this movie is interesting for what it says about the perpetuation of the JFK/Mafia/Show Biz mythology. That mythology centers around the following myths that Hollywood cannot let go of (see The Irishman, JFK by Oliver Stone, and a few episodes of The Godfather of Harlem): 1. Joe Kennedy used the mob to influence the 1960 election to put his son over the top (true) 2. The CIA tried to hire the mob to do in Castro (true) 3. The mob murdered JFK (false) Put all these and many others together and you have a historical yarn that is prone to exaggeration for entertainment's sake. A few other points: No way would the government grant Giancana immunity for his GJ testimony. A federal judge had no authority to remand Giancana to the Cook County jail. He would go to a federal facility. And lastly, Sam Giancana was an ugly fat guy. I guess the producers wanted some pizzaz. All in all though, an entertaining flick if you do not take it too seriously.

Reliance on One Song

[gbheron · 4/10 · 5 March 2003]

HBO made-for-TV movies are usually based on actual historical events, the drama centered on a famous personality at a critical time in their careers. "Sugartime" is no exception, dramatizing the romance between mobster Sam Giancana, and singer Phyllis McGuire (one the three McGuire Sisters). Set in the early 1960s within memory-range of most American baby-boomers, and dealing with organized crime and the music industry, this should have been slow-pitch for HBO. But surprisingly they whiffed it, and pretty badly at that.

The movie is as flat as a pancake. Here's a man, as loathsome as his profession may be, he's at the top of it. And he's about to throw it all away (and maybe his life) for love. You might suppose there'd be some drama to this. Nope.

The movie is also sunk by the acting. The actors seem to be sleepwalking. The success of the whole endeavor seems to rest solely on 1960 Cadillacs, tacky gangster clothing, big hair, and countless renditions of the McGuire Sisters singing "Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening...". Give this a pass.

John Turturo

[sequel · 9/10 · 15 December 2005]

Not totally a love story, not quite a mob story, but a great mix of both. This movie opened my eyes to Turturo and his ability to capture a character's essence. He made me believe that this is how Sam Giancana really was. His mannerisms and interactions with the rest of the cast made this movie for me, especially because some of the acting was not up to par with his. For those looking for a bloody, murderous mob movie or an overly mushy love story, this isn't it. What you'll get, though is a great story about two different worlds bound together by the heart, while they try to continue their own ways. Great acting, great writing, great sets and great shooting.

Crazy Kids!

[ldavis-2 · 2/10 · 3 January 2006]

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.

If you like mobster films, don't miss this.

[LofA · 8/10 · 23 July 1999]

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.

The wrong guy to play Giancana?

[CharltonBoy · 5/10 · 12 February 2002]

When ever i see a film come up on the movie channels that has been made by HBO i usually tend to make a point of watching it because they have a good track record and their film are usually above average. i'm afraid Sugertime is not one of those. Although Sugertime is not a bad film it does lack any real structure of entertainment value. The main problem for me is that the film is structured around a notorious gangster in Sam Giancana but they got an actor in who could not live up to the part.While John Turturro is a good actor , he is no gangster and portray himself well enough as one. Also another problem with the film is that the story is just not interesting enough. All that really happens is that that Giancana has a love affair with a famous singer and.......well thats about it! It's hardly the story of Frank Sinatra. 5 out of 10.

really good

[XFA · 1 September 2003]

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!!!

sam giancana's sunglasses

[pgaray2678 · 10/10 · 22 July 2011]

What kind,brand,make sunglasses does John Turturro wear and where can i buy them. I have looked for them and can't find them. So if you know what brand they are and where i can get them that would make my life lol they are very nice. Oh this movie was great. Our very own Mary-Louise Parker from our favorite show Weeds. She is my favorite actress btw. This movie shows the life of their relationship but the real deal behind this movie was the plot to wack President J Kennedy. They got most of the information from the book Double Cross by Mooney's Godson and His Brother Chuck. So yeah good movie check out the book i mentioned.

Related reference in the CIA docs...

[Tomus7 · 28 June 2007]

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.