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Searching for Sugar Man

Play trailer Poster for Searching for Sugar Man PG-13 2012 1h 26m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 133 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Though he faded into obscurity in the U.S., an early '70s musician known as Rodriguez became a huge hit in South Africa and was widely rumored to have died. Two obsessed fans set out to learn the man's true fate.
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Searching for Sugar Man

Searching for Sugar Man

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Critics Consensus

A fascinating portrait of a forgotten musical pioneer, Searching for Sugar Man is by turns informative and mysterious.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 09/01/2018
The best, most touching, most humbling documentary I've ever seen about a musician I've never heard of. Go to Full Review
Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune 01/07/2013
3/4
At 85 minutes, it's a tight, sharp achievement, yet one of the things I love about it is simple: It moves to a relaxed rhythm, in sync with its slightly otherworldly subject. Go to Full Review
Leonard Maltin leonardmaltin.com 10/05/2012
...it isn't merely the content that makes Searching for Sugar Man so affecting: it's the way that Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul sets up the story and peels away the mystery of Rodriguez, one layer at time. Go to Full Review
Michael Leader Den of Geek 05/03/2024
3/5
There is also plenty to unpack in the film's various narrative threads, from the fascinating investigative trail that the searchers follow, chasing down record label owners, producers, and Detroit barflies, to the story's exotically pre-digital flavour... Go to Full Review
Rebecca Schiller NME (New Musical Express) 05/04/2021
4/5
The driving force of Searching For Sugar Man is the fans, and their journey from the discovery of their favourite singer to the sell-out South African shows he plays 30 years after... Go to Full Review
David Bax Battleship Pretension 03/10/2021
If you go see Searching for Sugar Man - and I suggest you do - try not to know too much about him beforehand. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Thomas S Oct 19 Incredible. I shed a tear at the end — something I never do while watching documentaries. This film perfectly captures what could happen in a world without the internet. Two main takeaways: 1) Home is acceptance. 2) Being an artist means seeing through the surrounding mediocrity. See more Brian S Sep 27 A musical resurrection that feels like stumbling onto buried treasure, where a forgotten voice rises from silence to claim immortality … it is perhaps the truest example of the pursuit of the American Dream actually working out, and while delayed, the impact of Rodriguez’s art is not diminished. See more Josh W 10/18/2024 I've made a list of movies that have won the Oscar for best Documentary, and I have been watching each one as they pop up on various streaming services. For some of the Oscar Winners, I had an idea what I was getting into before viewing. And then there were others that I went into having no idea what to expect other than the IMDB and Rotten Tomato two-line blurbs. What I have learned is that no matter how uninteresting a Best Documentary Oscar winner may seem by reading the title and looking at the movie poster, every storyline ends up surprisingly surpassing my expectations. Searching For Sugar Man is the extreme example of the aforementioned; a movie that interested me almost not at all by looking at the title, movie poster and two-line description. And I was in store for a shock. The movie documents the intertwining of several miracles. One miracle is the life of a man named Sixto Rodriguez, who is walking, living, breathing poetry. Another miracle occurs after Mr. Rodriguez pours his soul into two record albums in the early 1970s, both of which completely fail to sell to an American audience. But his art, completely unbeknownst to Rodriguez, reaches ears in a faraway land. And it affects people. And it catalyzes a revolution. Yet another miracle occurs 25 years later when Sixto, a humble, poor, unknowing man finally learns of the impact his art had on the world. This story is more amazing than a fairy tale. And it is true. And everyone should see this movie. It should be shown in schools. And when you watch it, you will be in complete awe that something like this has actually happened in our world. See more Geke g 08/08/2024 Im searching for this See more Bahad j 08/07/2024 I really liked the characters and actions of the actors See more Munkhchimeg T 08/02/2024 Very decent movie. Never bored for any minute See more Read all reviews
Searching for Sugar Man

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Movie Info

Synopsis Though he faded into obscurity in the U.S., an early '70s musician known as Rodriguez became a huge hit in South Africa and was widely rumored to have died. Two obsessed fans set out to learn the man's true fate.
Director
Malik Bendjelloul
Producer
George Chignell, Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, Malik Bendjelloul
Screenwriter
Malik Bendjelloul
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Passion Pictures, Red Box Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Drug References|Brief Strong Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 27, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.7M
Runtime
1h 26m
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