The Sugarland Express

Play trailer

3:14

The Sugarland Express

PG

In Theaters Sun Dec 8

1h 49m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

Coming Soon

In Theaters Sun Dec 8

Reserve Tickets

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

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

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Rex Reed

New York Daily News

A highly winning entertainment.

Apr 20, 2021

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

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.

Apr 20, 2021

Full Review

Susan Stark

Detroit Free Press

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

Apr 20, 2021

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

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

Rated: B+

Nov 29, 2022

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The Sugarland Express has become something of a cult classic mainly because of Steven Spielberg making it his first theatrical release.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 23, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Clearly, in Spielberg’s vision of cops and robbers, everyone is an average person, with reasonable motives and expectations and inclinations toward forgiveness, even when circumstances tend to demand more outrageous reactions.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 22, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Leaburn O

Spielberg made one of his best movies right at the start. Simple plot, excellently executed as he builds the characters over a couple of days. A good story, well told. Watched on DVD.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/02/24

Full Review

r96 s

Quality! 'The Sugarland Express' is Steven Spielberg's first theatrical release as director, which is quite something given the movie seems like it was made by a seasoned vet. On a similar note, the look and feel of the film is absolutely outstanding; it has aged remarkably well visually, almost hard to believe it came out in 1974! I also really enjoyed the score, particularly Toots Thielemans on the harmonica, but that's no surprise - John Williams, duh! As for plot, it is very entertaining. I like how silly everything plays out for the first chunk and the film knows it, but events gradually rise up a notch throughout the 110 minutes. The more serious conclusion would've felt quite sudden and out of place, though it is portrayed and paced perfectly. Cast-wise, Goldie Hawn, William Atherton and Michael Sacks are excellent, though Ben Johnson is probably the one I'd rate highest.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/09/24

Full Review

Alec B

It may be derivative but the movie is so tightly controlled by Spielberg and so captivating from start to finish that it just doesn't matter.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Vargtimmen B

Spielberg suddenly opens up to me in the best traditions of American classic cinema in the spirit of John Wayne films. Brilliant work, unlike any of his films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/14/23

Full Review

Georgan G

3 & 1/4 stars. I generally liked the movie which had little to do with the real life event. But still, I kept asking myself, who is dumber? The couple who thinks the cops will let them go after all the ruckus? Or the law who chases them endlessly?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/25/23

Full Review

Crom W

Goldie Hawn was made for this kind of role, 5 stars to her. Movie 3 stars.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

The Sting

93%

95%

The Sting

Watchlist

Pete 'n' Tillie

67%

70%

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

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

Most Popular at Home Now