Sugar Baby

Of course I had never even heard about this 2024 thriller titled "Sugar Baby" prior to stumbling upon it. And I have to admit that the movie's title and the synopsis was a bit off-putting for me, as I have zero interest in the concept of certain services rendered for payments. But with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, I opted to give director Lauren Garroni's movie a fair chance.

The storyline in the movie was okay, I will say that much. Sure, this wasn't exactly stellar entertainment, but then again I wasn't really expecting that from a movie with this premise. But writers Bree Essrig and Lauren Garroni put together a fair enough script and storyline that was suitable for a single viewing. For a thriller, then I will say that writers Bree Essrig and Lauren Garroni sort of failed to construct a particularly thrilling narrative.

Sure, I get that lewd scenes was going to be in the movie, given the premise of the storyline, but it was just a bit too tacky, because director Lauren Garroni spent a bit too much time focusing on such scenes. It didn't really do much to promote the narrative or move the story ahead, but served as a mere excuse to show off lewdness on the screen.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, and that is actually something I enjoy when watching movies. The acting performances in "Sugar Baby" were fair.

"Sugar Baby" was not an outstanding thriller, nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Is it a movie that I would recommend to fans of thrillers? No.

My rating of director Lauren Garroni's 2024 thriller "Sugar Baby" lands on a four out of ten stars.

I was fascinated by how my relationship with the protagonists changed, you don't know exactly what I would think of them. Ups and downs. The characters are definitely not black and white, which is always more fun. It was also interesting to get to know this world of sugar daddies a little, it is even possible that the film will turn some young girl (or someone on the verge of adulthood) away from this scene, which, if true, as the film shows, is much more strenuous than anyone would think. The main actress did her job perfectly. At first glance, she looks like an actress from some pathetic romantic comedy (maybe that's why the bad rating), but if the viewer doesn't fall under the weight of prejudice, they quickly realize that there is something deeper hidden behind the first apearance.

The stage curtains open ...

Marie: "Obviously, you haven't explored the True Crime genre. Haven't you heard of Elizabeth Smart?" Chloe: "I think I blew her brother in the 5th grade."

Maybe I'm not being fair by picking that particular quote to highlight in my review, but it was pretty bad. This movie popped up in my feed as an erotic thriller - and if done right, I'm down for that. Well, after watching it for the first, and probably the last time, it is not much of a thriller at all. It plays out as more of an erotic drama with some mystery elements to it. Though it is no "Basic Instinct", it did have some redeeming moments.

Marie is a Sugar Baby, not quite the same as prostitution ... she makes arrangements with a Sugar Daddy for financial compensation or material possessions in exchange for favors, not always sexual, but always in the form of companionship over a period of time. She is approaching 27 years of age, and looking into other online opportunities with a website similar to Only Fans. However, she is asked to spend a week in the home of Jeff, a whale of a Sugar Daddy, who offers her $30,000 for her time. She accepts, only to find out there is more going on inside his house than meets the eye.

James Tupper is not a headlining actor, but he has been in few large productions in bit roles. He tries to make the best of it here, though I was getting a demented Conan O'Brien vibe off of him. The music was very Tangerine Dream-like, it felt like a throwback approach to the soundtrack. The highlight of the film was our lead, Mary Beth Barone, who carried the film well with a sense of realism required to pull off this type of role.

However, "Sugar Baby" ultimately falls short with a very naughty made-for-tv feel to it. The big twist at the end wasn't jaw dropping, but rather tame - and there was nothing here that made me want to come back for more. It isn't a thriller - it is lackluster in that area. It is shot well, but the final scenes were very formulaic and served to exist to tie up the loose ends with less than stellar acting. This is more about the journey than the destination, though I feel the filmmakers were hoping their twist at the end would be their selling point. Not a recommend.

This movie deserves a higher rating. Sure, for fans of thrillers, this might be a bit too soft, but there was a certain level of dangerous and unhinged all the way through. I think that captured being a sugarbaby/sex worker: there is always a lining of being unsafe, and staying suspicious, although you need to put yourself in that situation over and over again to make a living.

The acting and script were good. I think the first part of the movie caught the current world we live in, with Onlyfans and such. The sex scenes were classy though explicit (from a female perspective). Overall a good, enjoyable movie.