The Sugarland Express

Play trailer

3:14

The Sugarland Express

PG

1974

1h 49m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

53 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Rex Reed

New York Daily News

04/20/2021

A highly winning entertainment.

Go to Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

04/20/2021

It is astonishing to contemplate all that director Steven Spielberg and his writers Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins, all of them in their theatrical feature debuts, have managed to accomplish.

Go to Full Review

Susan Stark

Detroit Free Press

04/20/2021

Engrossing to watch, it begins to work on you, to declare its claim to greatness, after a while. You'll see.

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Dec 26

3.5/4

The Sugarland Express builds towards a third act that’s both electrifying and unexpectedly heartbreaking...

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 8

3/4

It features real attention to the sort of character dynamics that would serve subsequent Spielberg titles.

Go to Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

11/29/2022

B+

Made before Spielberg became a thousand-pound gorilla, "Sugarland" is pleasantly small and unassuming.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Anthony P

Jan 19

It's an extraordinary picture. Stunned from beginning to end, and Spielberg's grandest theatrical debut.

See more

Julian C

@juliancooper_12 Apr 19

Not bad for Steven Spielberg's debut film. You get good performances from the main cast and following the journey of Lou Jean and Clovis is very intriguing.

See more

Amanda B.

@Amanda719 Jan 19

I enjoyed this. Funny and they nailed the Texas aesthetic. Maybe a tad too long and Goldie’s character did well walking the line between likable and manipulative sociopath, but in a charming way. Apparently, this is Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut, which is a stunning accomplishment.

See more

Tyler G

@tylergross121 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

@RT75131356 Aug 11

A pre-view of Spielberg's greatness.

See more

Bill W

@RT55041566 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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Police Car Pile-Up

2:42

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - News Van Crash

1:31

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Police Snipers

2:50

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Goldie Hawn Steals a Car

2:53

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Criminals on Parade!

2:27

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Sexy Prison Break

3:41

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - End of the Road

3:58

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Goldie Hawn's Gotta Pee!

3:29

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Shootout at the Car Dealership

3:57

The Sugarland Express: Official Clip - Everybody Loves Goldie Hawn

2:25

View more videos

The Sting

93%

95%

The Sting

Watchlist

Pete 'n' Tillie

67%

68%

Pete 'n' Tillie

Watchlist

Minnie and Moskowitz

82%

85%

Minnie and Moskowitz

Watchlist

More American Graffiti

20%

33%

More American Graffiti

Watchlist

On Golden Pond

91%

87%

On Golden Pond

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rank Steven Spielberg’s 10 Best Movies

Rank Goldie Hawn’s 10 Best Movies

Steven Spielberg’s Best-Reviewed Movies

The Sugarland Express: Trailer 1

3:14

View more videos

View more photos

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