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

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

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

@Nanonevol 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

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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%

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

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

Most Popular at Home Now