Raising Victor Vargas (2002) User Reviews

Great Movie

[mattbaxter524 · 7/10 · 11 September 2009]

True fans of film will love this authentic movie.

I disagree with the trolls who are rating this movie a one-star and calling it unrealistic. While I don't have the background or come from the environment of the protagonists, I've spent many years working in lower income and working class neighborhoods and feel the acting was very real and representative of how teenagers behave. I don't know what the basis is for others' comments that the film is "unrealistic". The dialog is great.

The low budget production value didn't bother me a bit. I felt that the natural lighting enhanced the character of the film. The focus was entirely on the story line and character development and not glitzy Hollywood propping or melodrama.

I completely bought into the character's motivations and reactions. The acting was believable and impressive for new and non-actors.

If your idea of good film is Transformers or Fast & Furious, then skip it. If you enjoy good character driven dramas, then see it.

(Regarding the negative commenters being "trolls": click on their names and you will see most have no other reviews or only negative reviews.)

Very Good

[michaeltrivedi · 8/10 · 2 October 2020]

I don't know, but I'm feeling a 9 in this. 8 I think is accurate, if not a 7.

Raising Victor Vargas is one great film. It takes us into the life of a poor young kid, the oldest of three children who live with their grandmother (who is as funny as she is entertaining to watch by the way). Victor thinks of himself as a player, and proves it by getting the most beautiful girl that his friends all could only dream of having. She is fantastic, and you don't see race or looks the same way here. You envision the world through Victor's eyes truly. You cheer Victor on as he gets this girl, and feel proud of him almost as a father to a son.

This is a great film. The story goes on smoothly and you don't get bored. It's a simple story actually. Guy wants girl, gets girl, and tries to keep girl. But it's just played out not necessarily with lots of emotion, or not even necessarily realistically. It's just awesome to watch.

I truly enjoyed this film. It's perhaps a top 100 best for me.

8 stars

Although rough around the edges this film still hits the mark

[rosscinema · 6/10 · 7 December 2004]

If your contemplating viewing this little film I hope you remember that this story contains no mention of gangs or drugs and the fooling around by some of the characters is completely harmless. Although there is an abundant of foul language this is still a well made and pleasant film about growing up and finding first love. Story takes place in the lower east side of New York City where we see teenage Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk) who lives with his brother and sister and is raised by his strict Grandmother (Altagracia Guzman) who's from the Dominican Republic and considers him a bad influence and while at the pool one day meets a pretty girl named Judy (Judy Marte) who is turned off by all the boys around her.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Victor gets a hold of Judy's brother so that he can talk with her which he does and they become friendly but even though she tells him that they are dating she really just wants others to leave her alone and can now say she has a boyfriend. Meanwhile, A social worker tells Grandma that she can't kick out Victor if he hasn't done anything wrong and eventually she must come to terms with the fact that her ways are old fashioned and that her grandchildren are growing up. Victor and Judy become closer as time goes by and she learns to trust him with is a big step for her and when she learns her best friend has been dating someone she gets the idea that maybe it's time to really accept Victor as a boyfriend.

This film is directed by newcomer Peter Sollett who is using some of the same actors that he's used before in previous efforts which obviously works well here because of they're lack of experience. With that, even though the cast is young it also adds a sincere and realistic quality to the performances and a freshness to the film overall. The simplistic nature of the story is it's biggest strength and it never strays over into excess or cliché's and the kiss between Rasuk and Marte seems so genuine because we (as an audience) have watched these characters come to that point naturally. Rasuk holds the film together well with his performance and Marte also shows that she has all the potential and proclivity of a very good actress. The film does a good job of making sure it doesn't include all the urban cliché's that other films seem to always have and thankfully it stays on course and focuses on the characters instead. Even though I could have used with a little less foul language this is still a sweet and honest story with a young cast that adds just the right touches.

authenticity

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 28 July 2016]

Victor is a brash teen who sees himself as a player. His younger sister Vicki catches him with neighbor Fat Donna and tells everyone. At the pool with best friend Harold, he tries to talk up Judy but she won't have any part of him. She's there with best friend Melonie and brother Carlos. Victor promises Carlos to set him up with Vicki for an intro to Judy. Victor lives with Vicki, brother Nino, and his grandmother.

Victor is such an annoying self-obsessive lip-licking caricature male teen that it's nearly impossible to root for him. He is aggressively trying to throw the audience by being a jerk. It makes it an unappealing watch for most of the first half. It does have an authenticity about the young characters. It would be easier to make it darker rather than being a light romantic comedy. It could have also been better to make Judy the protagonist rather than Victor. Carlos and Vicki are funny secondary relationship.

An outstanding capture of teenage emotion

[chicken_stamper · 9/10 · 27 February 2010]

Incredibly intriguing and captivating, I found it impossible to turn away once I began to watch. I am usually one of the harshest critics but to me this film was just brilliant, strange as this may sound I could almost smell the air and feel the textures of the locations.

From a cinematographic I thought there was great use of light and texture. From the orange glow of the summer light, down to the plastic wrapped couch all had a distinct air of realism to me.

From a character perspective I thought the notion of Victor Vargas as almost the glue that connects the story was quite inspired, each of the other members of the family having a more complete background simply caused greater intrigue in the main character himself.

Beyond that, having known someone just like the grandmother and having been on the receiving end of just such a situation, I can say the situation felt particularly realistic. The awkwardness, the accent, the cooking and even down to the comments made felt so authentic to me.

I think this film worked for me because I began to watch it with no expectations and found it completely immersing and brought back memories of teenage emotion, well worth a watch.

Split Victory!

[meeza · 7/10 · 6 July 2004]

Raising Victor Vargas is a marginally victorious coming-of-age story. I raise my glass to many of the social components of this film about an inner city boy and his adolescent ordeals with this family, friends, and girls. However, one negative attribute of `Raising Victor Vargas' is its unduly simplified screenplay. Ok, here is how Victor Vargas was raised: through its early development stage, the film indulges on Victor- the inner city teen Don Juan and his controlling grandmother, admiring brother, and confrontational sister. In its adolescent stage, the film switch gears to Judy- the fem teen head turner who Victor falls for. During its adulthood stage, the film does focus on mature themes such as masturbation, temptation, and investigation. `Raising Victor Vargas' does attain a mid-life crisis by encompassing various shallow underdone scenes. During its geriatric stage, the movie does obtain social security status by presenting significant social messages. `Raising Victor Vargas' is not a clear-cut victorious film but it's not a mortal one either.

*** Average

A movie that respects its characters.

[truthandlit · 9/10 · 4 October 2012]

This is an exceptionally good movie. What it does so clearly and well is to display the relationship between teenagers' romantic interests and their social status in the larger teenage society around them. The teenagers in this movie are all trying to establish a respectable place for themselves among their peers and having a girlfriend/boyfriend is a big part of that. The real problem is how to manage these things without becoming an egoistic monster. So Victor pursues Judy to salvage his reputation as a successful ladies' man and preserve the admiration of his friends and his younger brother. Judy, who is unusually inexperienced despite her hot looks, accepts Victor to avoid the crass sexual attentions of the neighborhood boys. But this isn't even half the story. Victor also has real respect for women, although he has to hide this to appear macho. Judy similarly likes boys but has to hide that, even from herself, in order to preserve her self-respect. Victor likes Judy because she treats him with a brutal honesty (despite her lie about already having a man); Judy likes Victor because he defers to her—he pursues her in his clumsy adolescent way, but agrees to be ruled by her, so she doesn't feel so threatened. Victor and Judy establish a good relationship by the end: it obviously makes both of them happy and they both benefit from it in ways that are important to them. You can argue that this is a pretty rudimentary basis for a relationship, but when one is 14 or 15, good rudimentary relationships are an achievement. The two are very sweet, and very immature, and will grow and develop. Similarly the relationship between Melanie (very well played by Melanie Diaz) and Harold. They are not explored in the same depth, but one can see the same process at work. Melanie sorts out her relationship with Judy vs her relationship with boys, and Harold overcomes his appalling awkwardness. They each gain status in the community as well as real personal growth. One doesn't know whether this relationship will last beyond a few days or weeks, but it doesn't matter—both are the better for it. So the movie shows a lot of respect for its characters and gives them real depth and humanity.

An Enjoyable Film

[LoonyMoony7 · 7/10 · 8 August 2006]

I've skimmed through other comments and saw that most were negative and only pointed out the bad parts of the film. I'm a Latina living in NYC, an I have to say that the film captured much of the real life that goes on around here. Although Victor just makes all guys seem dirty, when that isn't the case.

I have to admit there were some bad parts, and I won't go describing them because so many people before me have, so I'll just go to the good stuff. The family is great. The grandma shows the typical crazy lady who refuses to believe that her kids are growing up (my mother and my friends' family are proof and support such a stereotype)and the boys really do act like that. No, seriously. A girl can't walk down the street around here without getting hounded like that.

All in all, I enjoyed the film and although I've seen better, I can't say it was awful.

Age of innocence/before technology

[redtailss50 · 10/10 · 30 September 2012]

Why anyone would rate this unfavorably is beyond me? Loved this movie. All the talk about ethnicity I think was out of place. To me it was more a story of a grandmother trying to raise kids going into puberty yet still holding fast to her values, though she learns eventually to be flexible. And for those too crass or wounded to remember what innocence was like and coming to terms with trying to mature as a teenager, maybe they should watch this film till the'penny drops'and they 'get it!' Superb film, especially from a filmmaker just starting out.

Judy Marte was extraordinary. Her eyes captivate and her face gives off this air of mystery. I found myself wanting to delve more into the character she was portraying by her acting. I hope more good roles come her way to showcase her talent. The entire cast were enjoyable.

Cinema Captures Reality

[mwendel · 7/10 · 9 February 2004]

While the story is fiction, the feeling and appearance of this movie is documentary like in its gritty reality. If the movie had make-up artists and wardrobe consultants they should get many kudos for making up believe in the reality of what the movie contains. The apartments, the people, and the scenes are authentic. There is no attempt to brush away stereo-types about cultures or lifestyles. If you let yourself you can really feel like you're there with these awkward adolescent characters who are struggling to find themselves and someone to trust in the harsh reality of the world. Its a good solid movie to be appreciated for how it depicts life as it really is for many people. Its a movie you have to see to really understand. It doesn't go for the hard shock values of "Kids", but it makes you feel that you are walking right down the street in your own sneakers feeling the pebbles on the asphalt underneath your feet and the grit under your finger nails.

Love the cultural relevance behind everything!

[stefanie_27-1 · 10/10 · 12 November 2009]

I saw this film a while back and it's still at the top of my 'favorite movies' list. It is amazingly put together and what really makes the film are the detailed tid bits (such as the 'Cafe Bustelo' coffee crate being reused as a cup to wash her grandsons hair) that people aren't seeing because YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THIS MOVIE UNLESS YOU ARE HISPANIC. This is just one of those films that is very culturally specific and particular. Please do not bash this film if you have no prior knowledge of what foundation it's being built upon. I completely see what the writer/director was going for, and he hit the target perfectly! This film is highly deserving of a better rating.

coming of age in new york

[odradek2 · 6/10 · 22 August 2005]

This is the beautiful and romantic story of a couple of people in the outskirts of New York discovering their first love. The two main characters (Victor Rasuk and Judy Marte) are both blessed with exceptionally good looks and suffer from a problem of attitude. At first they seem to lack the intellectual capacities to overcome this, but then... The film starts with some nice yokes and one-liners ("At least you've got fat Donna") but as the plot develops, the story becomes so simple that it is hard to keep your attention. The film is saved by some charming, subdued scenes (drama with not much words), and the looks of the main characters - unfortunately for the viewers with light pornographic interests, the romantic parts are well dosed. Melonie Diaz and Krystal Rodriguez do - by the way - an excellent job in supporting roles.

don't waste your money

[MissSmithNYC · 2 January 2004]

This movie sucks. It is about a Latino teenager whose plight is that he is discovered having sex with a fat girl, and spends the movie trying to win the heart of a pretty girl so that he can restore his pride. Raising Victor Vomitus is in the league of Better Luck Tomorrow - another film which attempts to reveal the intricacies of a cultural group - but which really only makes everyone look stupid. My conclusion after seeing these two really egregious films is that if you are curious about Latino or Asian youths - the best way to satisfy that curiousity is to meet some of them, read a book, or wait until a good movie comes out. However, if you want to waste money, be bored, and learn nothing - get a pedicure. At least you will have something to show for it.

better than most

[vfuller · 7/10 · 25 January 2007]

this movie is not terrible; even though its realness feels very contrived sometimes, its actually pretty good in comparison to most teen romances; i found it very easy to relate to because i've found myself in victor's situation, abstractly speaking, on several occasions; unfortunately, its not "different" enough to receive credit from the "true" indie crowd, don't let the negative reviews scare you, see the movie for yourself and have an open mind; believing that raising victor vargas is a very cerebral, underground movie is a mistake, however it is much more interesting to watch when you consider all the other silly, hacked together, teen-aged romances

Raising Victor Vargas

[awmurshedkar · 9/10 · 11 June 2012]

RAISING VICTOR VARGAS – 9.3/10

Director: Peter Sollett

Writer: Peter Sollett

With an unknown cast and coming from a debut director, the film turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Raising Victor Vargas is a 'coming of age' film, if one might call it that, but in every sense of the word, extremely mature. With no special effects or dazzling visuals, Raising Victor Vargas is a must watch for sakes of storytelling and scriptwriting.

The film revolves around the story of a youngster Victor Vargas, a Dominican teenager, played exceptionally well by Victor Rasuk. Victor, who is out to regain his image after word of his affair with a 'fat' girl leaks to the neighborhood. To rise to his old glory, he must win over the pretty Judy Marte ('Juicy' Judy Gonzalez). For most parts, the story is just that. While detailing it any further would lead to spoilers, watch out for the most interesting aspects of the film, which in this case are precisely those parts which seem least relevant.

The film manages to charm, delight and appease with the smallest of details, ones that are almost always overlooked in films seeking to be larger than life. It is as though the writer/director has understood the simplest secret of storytelling. He deals with nuances of the youth, the teenagers and their daily lives in a very refined and mature manner. Not succumbing to obvious temptations of problems facing the youth, the director dodges all the clichés, from drugs to violence, from rape to vengeance.

There isn't really much to say about the film. It is shot in a few locations, with limited characters and resources. Yet the performances are fantastic, the script is simple and funny, the acting is outstanding. The film flows from one scene to the next and very soon without actually realizing it, we are living the lives of the characters, laughing and smiling with them, cheering and hooting for them. Sadly, we haven't seen a lot from Sollett since 2002; hope he makes an appearance soon.

Warm, human story

[livewire9000 · 7/10 · 11 February 2009]

Not too dramatic, but still lively and entertaining. Realistic and human. Warm, good movie. I thought the characters were touchable. I especially liked the little brother's character. His younger sister was a lively depiction of everything we hate about little sisters. The grandmother's character was very believable, well played and dynamic. I felt myself feeling hopeful for the family when they were attempting "the new beginning". This movie was a mature, big step away from the stereotypical movies created featuring Hispanic people. It was also more intimate and more believable. I enjoyed it more than what I expected to. A nice movie.

This is not a movie

[Boyo-2 · 10/10 · 26 August 2004]

This is real life for a segment of the population that do not have much of anything, don't have two dishes that match and are not exactly well-represented in the world of cinema. Its all so real that if I was told this was a documentary and these guys with video cameras just filmed the lives of the people in the movie, I wouldn't second-guess it for a minute.

It started out a bit uneasy for me. I thought it was just going to be a prolonged quest for these two guys to get some action at the local pool. But when the entire family is introduced, and the quest for action became a reluctant friendship, I started to recognize and appreciate what I was seeing. People exactly like this could easily live ten blocks away from me in Brooklyn (its never specified, but I think they're in the Bronx or upper Manhattan, but it could be anywhere urban).

I bet the budget for this was about the same as that cyborg Tom Cruise makes in one day for his latest blockbuster. Movies like this make me hate people like him even more because he's so far removed from the human condition that it isn't even funny. And in terms of money, forget it. This movie has more value than his last twelve movies.

Thanks to all the artists involved in the making of this movie. I'll never forget it. 10/10.

cute little movie

[vanessapeeters · 7/10 · 26 July 2003]

I enjoyed this cute little movie. It is the light comedy that feels contained and well realized. The actors--unknown--non professionals are extremely likeable. The camera is unobtrusive and reminded me about "George Washington" which shared the DP services with Vargas DP Tim Orr. If the film has a fault is that its decidedly modest ambitions keep the dramatic stakes very low. There's not much to engage the audience. But all in all--an adorable, embracing work.

This is great cinema!

[mastrait · 9/10 · 17 April 2018]

Wow, I almost missed this gem of a movie! Don't you make the mistake of passing on it.

Fresh, sweet, funny and very real! Everything about this film is just fantastic. The acting, the writing, the camera work, I loved it all! Definitely a slice of life I never experienced, but at the same time, I knew this family, these people and related to them so well.

This is a remarkable thing that rarely happens, but the reason I love good cinema.

Emotionally Authentic

[majic-5 · 7/10 · 29 December 2005]

The characterizations and relationships in this coming-of-age movie appealed to my white, middle-class, middle-age sensibilities. The cultural pressures on Victor to be an über-macho pimp daddy seemed real. His strained relationships with his brother, sister, and grandmother seemed natural. His shock at his grandmother dragging him, with family in tow, to social services and declaring "I'm done with him" for being a bad influence on the family seemed to genuinely shock him to the core. His subsequent humbler and more respectful attitude towards everyone, and Judy in particular, felt reasonable and satisfying. Likewise, the pressures on the young women in the film — and how they dealt with them — seemed real and sensible.

But all I had as a gut check was my own suburban background, which wasn't a reliable touchstone for this movie. Was this how 21st-century black and Latino urban teens feel and act? I checked some reviews written by people who seemed, by their comments, to understand this arena. The majority seemed to validate this movie's grip on its characters lives, so I'm prepared to embrace this movie for the sweet, earnest, complex, family drama I think it is. The culture clash between Grandma's old-world Dominican Catholicism and her grandkids' more liberal mores, and her efforts to keep a splintered family together as the kids yearn to separate from her add a layer of complexity to the standard awkward teen romance story line.

There's some question about the how believable the neighborhood is, though. LA Times critic Manohla Dargis, who grew up in New York's East Village, has this to say about the setting's credibility:

I'm not really sure what he (Sollet, the director) means by realism, since no East Village summer ever looked that lovely and sounded that quiet, and I've met loads of white Brooklyn kids who are plenty real. The nonprofessionals and gritty backdrop point "Raising Victor Vargas" in the direction of documentary even as everything else -- the deracinated streets, the honeyed light -- point it toward fantasy. (The artfulness of "Raising Victor Vargas" is the most real thing about it.) Sollett has created a Potemkin East Village, but he isn't alone in his yearning for the authentic and his penchant for poeticism. Like David Gordon Green ("All the Real Girls"), Sollett belongs to a wave of artists and writers, who, united by a desire to break free of postmodernism's reflexive irony, are in the grip of sincerity.

The development of the female characters, Judy and Melanie, who are just as important to the movie, get short shrift. Why have the two girls sworn off men so early and so often? Why does Melanie submit to the advances of Victor's friend so easily? What are Judy's family dynamics? None of questions gets explored, much less answered, and there were times when the script could have substituted scenes that dealt with these issues for some of the less compelling scenes in the film and been the richer for it.

As with many low-budget, debut films, the technical aspects of movie-making: cinematography (especially shot-framing, camera steadiness) lighting, etc., are less than impressive. But what Raising Victor Vargas lacks in authenticity of scene or professional polish, it makes up for with situational and emotional veracity.

Exceptionally good verité slice of Lower-East side life

[YouRebelScum · 10/10 · 22 September 2003]

Superb and deeply moving first-time independent film, focused on

a latino family living on the Lower East side of New York.



Ebullient 17-year old Victor has the hots for the local beauty queen

Judy, but she's too cool for him. At least, that's how it is at the start.

But then her pal Melonie takes a shine for Victor's pal Harold.

Meanwhile, Victor's got problems at home, as his Grandma is

trying to give him to the social services because she's convinced

he's corrupting his younger brother Nino and driving his sister

crazy.



Working with a cast of non actors, writer/director Peter Sollett has

constructed a marvel, full of the energy of its teenage subjects but

without for a second lapsing into condescension towards them.

The script is tight and funny, but the real jewel in this film are the

frankly startling performances. The shockingly unaffected acting

reminds you of just powerful it is to see people being utterly

simple. The lack of self-consciousness evinced by the entire cast

is far, far more affecting than any degree of actorly hysteria.



A deeply refreshing and unmissable first feature.

the teenage years

[shirlty56 · 7/10 · 13 January 2004]

This film captures the true struggle with identity that is ongoing in our teenage years. It is really moving and it feels strangely like a documentary-not contrived but very real. It is very interesting and unsettling

Just a Bad Film

[Long-Trader · 2/10 · 3 September 2006]

Raising victor Vargas is just a bad film. No amount of denial or ad-dollar supported publicity with change this sad fact.

Maybe Peter Sollett saw he didn't have the money to do the movie he wanted to make and decided to take the easy way out by making a bad film that cynically apes the tenets of current "edgy film-making". Maybe he just doesn't know any better. It's hard to tell.

What's not hard to tell is the result. Except for a few viewers who will intellectualize the bad film-making into an attempt at pseudo-realism, few will enjoy it.

I know I didn't.

Do yourselves a favor and pass on this film.