RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Brown Sugar
Brown Sugar

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Brown Sugar (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
64 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:84

Fresh:54

Rotten:30

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: Though you can guess the outcome of Brown Sugar at the beginning, Lathan and Diggs imbue this romantic comedy with a lot of charm.

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Rick Famuyiwa breathes a refreshing burst of air into the romantic comedy genre with BROWN SUGAR, a film that is as much a tribute to hip-hop as it is a celebration of friendship and love. Dre... Rick Famuyiwa breathes a refreshing burst of air into the romantic comedy genre with BROWN SUGAR, a film that is as much a tribute to hip-hop as it is a celebration of friendship and love. Dre (Taye Diggs) and Sidney (Sanaa Lathan), best friends since elementary school, have been in love with rap music since they can remember. It has even carried through into their adult lives. Dre is making a successful living as a record executive, while Sidney has just taken over as editor-in-chief at one of the hip-hop community's most popular magazines. Somehow, romance has never been an issue between the two, until they both find new loves of their own--for Dre, it's the beautiful Reese (Nicole Ari Parker), for Sidney, it's basketball star Kelby (Boris Kodjoe). Disillusioned with the lackluster music that his label continually puts out, Dre decides to branch out on his own. Sidney gives him a loan to support his bold new venture, but it is this unflinching support that eventually begins to grate on Reese and Kelby, forcing Dre and Sidney to confront their true feelings. Famuyiwa's crowd-pleasing film is boosted by Mos Def and Queen Latifah's hysterical supporting performances. [More]

Starring: Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Mos Def, Queen Latifah

Starring: Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Mos Def, Queen Latifah, Nicole Ari Parker, Method Man, Boris Kodjoe, Kool G. Rap, De La Soul, Black Thought

Director: Rick Famuyiwa

Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Screenwriter: Michael Elliott, Rick Famuyiwa
Producer: Peter Heller
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Brown Sugar

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
81 - 95 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Hip-hop is simply the newest tool for the same tired script of childhood friends who go down different paths only to realize they are each others' destiny.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
10/10/02
Marian Liu
Marian Liu
San Jose Mercury News

While it's genuinely cool to hear characters talk about early rap records (Sugar Hill Gang, etc.), the constant referencing of hip-hop arcana can alienate even the savviest audiences.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
10/10/02
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune

Guy gets girl, guy loses girl, audience falls asleep.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
10/10/02
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

Predictable and cloying, though Brown Sugar is so earnest in its yearning for the days before rap went nihilistic that it summons more spirit and bite than your average formulaic romantic quadrangle.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/10/02
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

Brown Sugar signals director Rick Famuyiwa's emergence as an articulate, grown-up voice in African-American cinema.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
10/09/02
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Watching the characters go through the paces of their unconvincing jobs is like flipping through the pages of GQ (or Architectural Digest) to admire all of the perfect models.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
10/08/02
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Their love fails to resonate as anything more than a shared musical passion.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/08/02
Michael Miller
Michael Miller
Village Voice

Synthetic and rather bland--more like 'Brown NutraSweet.'

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
10/08/02
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Famuyiwa's feature deals with its subject matter in a tasteful, intelligent manner, rather than forcing us to endure every plot contrivance that the cliché-riddled genre can offer.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
10/08/02
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

I like this movie a lot. It's probably the sweetest, corniest movie about hip-hop music you're ever going to see.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
10/07/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

A crumb of psychology would have helped.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/07/02
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An agreeably charming, brightly performed romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
10/07/02
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It has so many tropes that a teenager could construct a plot line just by connecting the dots.

Full Review Source: Phantom Tollbooth | comment Comment
10/07/02
J. Robert Parks
J. Robert Parks
Phantom Tollbooth

This cheery, down-to-earth film is warm with the cozy feeling of relaxing around old friends.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
09/30/02
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

All of the filmmakers' calculations can't rescue Brown Sugar from the curse of blandness.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
09/26/02
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International
 
 
81 - 95 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
all

Latest News for Brown Sugar

February 02, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Something" Ain't Nothing, "Call" Is Not Screened
This week at the movies brings something new ("Something New") and something remade ("When a Stranger Calls"). What do the critics say? More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
51
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
128
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
92
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
76
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
73
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
69
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
45
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
17
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
2
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Brown Sugar at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Brown Sugar at IGN
  • Brown Sugar at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.