The real Sam Giancana was short, bald, old, and ugly. In my idealistic 20s I couldn't understand what Phyllis McGuire saw in him. If he had looked more like John Turturro, it would have made sense. Now, in my cynical 70s, I can see it was the butterscotch Cadillac convertible and probably a few other baubles, plus the seductive allure of being the mob boss's girl. Why didn't they use recordings of the real McGuire Sisters? They were pretty good singers, much better than whoever dubbed the songs in this movie. Still, the film is interesting because all these details didn't come out until long after the trio's stardom had faded.

Remember when the McGuire Sisters were at the top of their careers and everyone was dreamy eyed at the fact they had wonderful voices on the Ed Sullivan TV Show and also their father was a Preacher. When the facts finally came out about Phyllis McGuire getting involved with a top notch gangster from Las Vegas, WOW it was the Shock of the Century in those days. John Turturro,(Sam Giancana), "She Hate Me",'04, played the role of Sam to perfection and when he met Phyllis McGuire's parents, he made a complete Ass of himself and it was quite funny. Mary-Louise Parker,(Phyllis McGuire),"Romance & Cigarettes",'05, gave a great supporting role and had some real funny scenes in a motel room with their sleeping arrangements and final love making. It sure is a nice entertaining film if you happened to miss seeing it.

HBO made-for-TV movies are usually based on actual historical events, the drama centered on a famous personality at a critical time in their careers. "Sugartime" is no exception, dramatizing the romance between mobster Sam Giancana, and singer Phyllis McGuire (one the three McGuire Sisters). Set in the early 1960s within memory-range of most American baby-boomers, and dealing with organized crime and the music industry, this should have been slow-pitch for HBO. But surprisingly they whiffed it, and pretty badly at that. The movie is as flat as a pancake. Here's a man, as loathsome as his profession may be, he's at the top of it. And he's about to throw it all away (and maybe his life) for love. You might suppose there'd be some drama to this. Nope. The movie is also sunk by the acting. The actors seem to be sleepwalking. The success of the whole endeavor seems to rest solely on 1960 Cadillacs, tacky gangster clothing, big hair, and countless renditions of the McGuire Sisters singing "Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening...". Give this a pass.

John Turturro and Mary-Louise Parker portray in fine fashion a mobster and his 60s pop-singer girlfriend. One can only speculate as to the factual accuracy of this insightful film about Sam Giancana and Phyllis McGuire. However, the film's repeated images of mobster brutality juxtaposed with a love story is chilling. This is a central theme in most mobster-genre movies, but it's not worn out here. "Sugartime" is one of the best of its genre.