“Ryan and I share a basic desire to correct the mistakes of our deadbeat fathers and stop the generational hurt by being good fathers ourselves.” Watching films every single day and recommending films for a living has made me rather unsure if cinema is actually having the positive impact that we all want to believe it is. Are people really changing after watching new films? Are they actually learning more about the world? Are they really growing & evolving after they experience new perspectives from other people? Thankfully there is one film that is capturing this change happening. Too Much Sugar is a unique documentary hybrid film created and directed by American filmmaker Robert Greene. It just premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section though it really feels much more like a Sundance film through and through. It’s a clever meta filmmaking concept about addressing toxic masculinity by having two manly papas from a small town in Missouri confront themselves by making a film about themselves and their families. It didn’t entirely wow me, but it’s solid overall. As time passes I still find myself thinking about it and these families.
Too Much Sugar is the latest creation from doc filmmaker Robert Greene, known for his boundary-pushing, undefinable, hybrid doc creations including the films Actress, Kate Plays Christine, Bisbee ’17, Procession previously. His intro explains the idea behind this: “Too Much Sugar is the next step in the collaborative, therapeutic documentary cinema developed by our [film] team. We co-create a film with Ryan Holliger, a carpenter, fighter, and father of six children by five different women in rural Missouri. Ryan has skeletons in his closet, so he wants to make a movie – a zany comedy – to show his family that he can be a better man and help them live their dreams.” The film follows 2 dads in their Missouri town – Ryan and his best friend named AccRite – as they’re filmed for this doc while they also try to make a big, wacky comedy with their family. Their kids are alright actually – they’re smart & healthy & wily and make this film extra watchable as the highlights of this eccentric cast. Watching all of them come together to try and make this movie teaches all of them lessons. Through storytelling they learn to reflect on themselves, who they are, and how they can be better (to each other & themselves). It’s quite beautiful to see how much this process affects all of them.
While it is a bit rough around the edges, not only the filmmaking but also just the clunkiness of trying to get this family on camera, it’s still an impactful film. This is why it’s stuck in my mind. I believe it’ll click with some folks as a brutally honest look at Americana small town life and just how hard it is to be a good person and take care of your family and keep them healthy & safe. In many ways it’s similar to the brilliant Sing Sing – depicting how the act of creating art and telling stories actually gives people a chance to think about themselves and reflect on who they are and how to be better. This is an “easier said than done” concept and that’s what Too Much Sugar excels at capturing. It’s not a simple story of, oh wow, now they’ve changed & everyone is fine. It’s a look at how telling stories is part of the process of growing as a person, and how much it’s an ongoing pursuit, with new challenges every day. I enjoyed spending time with Ryan and AccRite and their families, they’re really wonderful, even with their flaws & quirks. It’s possible Green’s film will end up becoming a guide for how to introduce filmmaking & storytelling into local communities, showing that it can seriously make a real difference. This is the cinematic optimism & hopefulness we need more of nowadays.
Alex’s Venice 2026 Rating: 7 out of 10
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