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The Sugarland Express

Play trailer 3:14 Poster for The Sugarland Express PG 1974 1h 49m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis Poplin (William Atherton) lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
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The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express

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Critics Consensus

Its plot may ape the countercultural road movies of its era, but Steven Spielberg's feature debut displays many of the crowd-pleasing elements he'd refine in subsequent films.

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Audience Reviews

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Tyler G Sep 3 A dark, deceptively simple, lovers-on-the-run movie. It is pretty good, but is not a fun watch. I would pprobably only recommend to people exploring Spielberg's filmography. See more Jeremy W Aug 11 A pre-view of Spielberg's greatness. See more Bill W Jul 2 The movie was done well it just kinda sucks that the events in the movie are so much different than the real story. See more Nano N Jun 24 Nice story set in simpler times and places. Hawn and Atherton have great chemistry. See more Horror fan 4 Jun 21 Goldie Hawn shines in this movie along with William Atherton. Although it wasn't as funny as I'd thought it would be. The over use of police cars reminds me of the blues brothers. Tim Treakle See more Bill T May 26 Love Goldie Hawn! She makes every movie character she plays believable and yet doesn't get the accolades she deserves. This was an early Steven Spielberg film and was very well done with a modest budget. I highly recommend this film movie. See more Read all reviews
The Sugarland Express

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Cast & Crew

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Steven Spielberg

Director

Goldie Hawn

Lou Jean Poplin

William Atherton

Clovis Michael Poplin

Ben Johnson

Captain Harlin Tanner

Michael Sacks

Patrolman Maxwell Slide

Gregory Walcott

Patrolman Ernie Mashburn

Movie Clips

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The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Police Car Pile-Up The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Police Car Pile-Up 2:42 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - News Van Crash The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - News Van Crash 1:31 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Police Snipers The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Police Snipers 2:50 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Goldie Hawn Steals a Car The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Goldie Hawn Steals a Car 2:53 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Criminals on Parade! The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Criminals on Parade! 2:27 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Sexy Prison Break The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Sexy Prison Break 3:41 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - End of the Road The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - End of the Road 3:58 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Goldie Hawn's Gotta Pee! The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Goldie Hawn's Gotta Pee! 3:29 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Shootout at the Car Dealership The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Shootout at the Car Dealership 3:57 The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Everybody Loves Goldie Hawn The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Everybody Loves Goldie Hawn 2:25 View more videos

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The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express: Trailer 1 The Sugarland Express: Trailer 1 3:14 View more videos
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The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express (1974) The Sugarland Express (1974) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis Poplin (William Atherton) lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
Director
Steven Spielberg
Producer
Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown
Screenwriter
Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Zanuck/Brown Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 1974, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 8, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2015
Runtime
1h 49m
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