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      Brown Sugar

      2002, Romance/Comedy, 1h 49m

      88 Reviews 50,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Though predictable and possibly too sweet, Brown Sugar is charming, well-acted, and smarter than typical rom-com fare. Read critic reviews

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      Brown Sugar  Photos

      "Brown Sugar photo 1" "Brown Sugar photo 2" "Brown Sugar photo 3" Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) Brown Sugar (2002) "Brown Sugar photo 8" "Brown Sugar photo 9" "Brown Sugar photo 10" "Brown Sugar photo 11" "Brown Sugar photo 12" "Brown Sugar photo 13" "Brown Sugar photo 14" Left to Right: Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Sanaa Lathan and Boris Kodjoe in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Sanaa Lathan and Boris Kodjoe in Brown Sugar. From Left Bottom Clockwise: Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker, Reggi Wyns, Erik Weiner, Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan in Brown Sugar. From Left Bottom Clockwise: Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker, Reggi Wyns, Erik Weiner, Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Queen Latifah and Mos Def in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Queen Latifah and Mos Def in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs in Brown Sugar. Left to Right: Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs in Brown Sugar.

      Movie Info

      Sidney (Sanaa Lathan) and Dre (Taye Diggs) can attribute their friendship and the launch of their careers to one single childhood instant ... witnessing the birth of hip-hop on a New York street corner. Now some 15 years later, she is a revered music critic and he is a successful, though unfulfilled, music executive. Both come to realize that their true life passions will only be fulfilled by remembering what they learned that day on the corner.

      • Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language)

      • Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Rick Famuyiwa

      • Producer: Peter Heller

      • Writer: Michael Elliot, Rick Famuyiwa, Michael Elliot

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $27.4M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Fox

      • Production Co: Evergreen Productions

      • Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo

      • Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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      News & Interviews for Brown Sugar

      Critic Reviews for Brown Sugar

      Audience Reviews for Brown Sugar

      • May 26, 2021

        Ever have a movie you've seen bits and pieces of for years and it's all the sweeter when you finally watch it from start to finish? The answer is of course, and, for me, 'Brown Sugar' was worth the wait. I'm harsher on the tired, phony tropes of the rom-com genre, particularly because the 2000s gave us such a nauseating boom of stringent female leads and rewarded the toxicity, bumbling contrivances, and increasing superficiality rampant in Kate Hudson/Katherine Heigl vehicles. 'Brown Sugar' doesn't hit many unheard-of plot beats, but the strength of Rick Famuyiwa and Michael Elliot's writing elevates this material a league above its competition. Amid the abundance of charm, there's a maturity with which many of the characters confront their grievances with one another; flaws often birth bridges of understanding between much of the three-dimensional cast. You will feel heaps of sympathy for character types that are vastly underwritten in lesser films. Top it all off with what's gotta be one of the all-time impossibly gorgeous rom-com ensembles ever assembled and you have one of the unsung genre bests of its time.

        marisol m Super Reviewer
      • Jul 19, 2009

        Somehow I had never seen this movie before last night and I couldn't believed that I hadn't. It's a very good romantic comedy/drama that will remind you a little of When Harry Met Sally. There is even a scene where Taye Diggs character (Dre) spouts off on the different types of women and which ones are just to date and which ones are to marry, that scene echoes Billy Crystal's similar scene in Harry met Sally. Anyway this film main storyline has childhood friends Dre and Sidney (the gorgeous Sanaa Lathan) flirting around the issue of whether to just remain friends or become something closer. The point becomes moot when Dre ends up marrying hot to trot Reese (played by Nicole Ari Parker, who for once plays the bad girl instead of the usual saint). But Dre and Sidney still are such close friends that he spends more time with her than his own wife which leads to some friction. This being a romantic comedy, you know things will eventually turn out for the better, but getting there is what makes this movie works. A talented cast works wonders including Diggs and Lathan but also Queen Latifah as Sidney's cousin; Mos Def as a singer trying to break into the business, who is helped by Dre; and Parker. But the standout is Sanaa Lathan as Sidney. She manages to make her character seem very real, showing every emotion possible for happiness to sadness and all in between. When she is onscreen, the camera definitely loves her and so will audiences. Did I mention she was drop dead gorgeous. There are only a handful of women or men for that matter that can hold your attention with their acting ability and looks at the same time. I would put Ms Lathan up there with the legendary Elizabeth Taylor in her prime. So I highly recommend this movie, great for couples, great for romance lovers, great for film lovers in general. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dre: It's when you talk like that, that's what makes me think that you're jealous. Sidney 'Syd' Shaw: What? Dre: Yes. Jealous! Sidney 'Syd' Shaw: [throws a cookie on the table] No wonder you two are married, you're both crazy! Look here, contrary to what you and your wife may think, I don't spend my nights thinkin' about you, okay? Dre: Shh! Lower the voice. Sidney 'Syd' Shaw: I got a man who's fine, intelligent, successful, and gives it to me on a very, very regular basis and the s**t is the bomb! Dre: So! I don't care what - Sidney 'Syd' Shaw: Dre I need you to be happy for me. I need you to be there for me, just like you asked of me. So - so I can have tea and eat cucumber sandwiches with the crust cut off!

        Super Reviewer
      • Sep 28, 2008

        it was alright, not what you expect it to be it could have been a tab bit better

        Super Reviewer
      • Jun 29, 2007

        One of 2002's most underrated films, Brown Sugar offers more than you'd expect from a conventional romantic comedy.

        Super Reviewer

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