Raising Victor Vargas

Rating:
Summary: A quiet, wonderful film...
Review: "Raising Victor Vargas" sort of sneaks up on you... at first, nothing much seems to be happening. Victor is a typical loud-mouthed kid, trying to impress his friends with his sexual conquests. One girl in particular catches his eye... she's very attractive and having her as a girlfriend would really boost his reputation as a lady-killer. Victor's efforts seem doomed to failure, though, because the girl he's after can see right through him; she's got a few dozen other guys just like him harassing her every day.

As the film progresses, though, we begin to see that all the main characters are trapped in their own particular behaviors/attitudes, which serve to protect them but which also keep the rest of the world at a distance. Victor's cocky arrogance, his grandmother's intolerance, his little brother's "good"-ness, and the not-quite-girlfriend's total distrust of men... these all begin to limit the characters and to prevent them from giving of themselves.

This is a quiet, brilliant little film... it sort of reminded me of "Kids," but without the bleak outlook on human nature. Here, people are capable of change, though it doesn't come easily...

Rating:
Summary: Simple but sweet...
Review: ...and hilarious to boot, most of the time!

This is the authentic inner city, without blood splattering the lens every ten minutes, though f-words fly about once every ten seconds. If you're not hung up on the neighborhood colloquialisms, you'll love this film.

The beauty of this film is that all the characters are treated with respect and humanity, without ever getting dull or preachy. It often feels like a documentary because it's shot on location, without experienced professional actors---yet the cast does just fine, better than many familiar Hollywood faces in many Hollywood formula blockbusters.

Both romantic and comedic without ever nosediving into schmaltz, with an upbeat ending that doesn't insult your intelligence. Too bad this film didn't go into wider distribution, because its more or less universal appeal would've garnered it a far wider audience than it has found so far.

Too bad Hollywood's forgotten how to make films like this...

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT COMING-OF-AGE FILM
Review: A look at adolescent love set in the Dominican enclaves of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, RAISING VICTOR VARGAS takes place during a typically blistering New York summer. Young Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk) sets out to distract public attention from a recent romantic mishap and, in doing so, impress his peers by winning over the beautiful "Juicy" Judy Ramirez (Judy Marte). Trouble is, his greatest obstacle turns out to be his own overbearing, irascible grandmother (Altagracia Guzman).

RAISING VICTOR VARGAS is truly a joy to watch. I was pleasantly surprised by the originality of this film, including the many moments of sincere laughter and giggles. During the length of this film the characters are able to transform themselves in a more positive direction. Victor begins the film as being some kind of sleazy teenage boy who believes he is God's gift to *all* women while Judy tries to betray that she doesn't need anybody to take care of her. By the film's conclusion we see Victor being more authentic for his feelings towards Judy while Judy lets down her barrier wall and lets Victor into her sphere.

Overall, RAISING VICTOR VARGAS was a hit and righteously deserves the critical praise it has received.

Rating:
Summary: Not too fantastic
Review: after reading many reviews i decided to rent this movie. However, because of people raving about it made me set some kind of expectation the movie should be so it wasn't as good as i hoped. It's a great movie but i've seen better.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this movie!
Review: All the reasons why I so loved this movie are yet unclear to me. At times I think I loved it for very simple reasons, then other times I think I loved it for more profound reasons. In the end, it doesn't seem to matter, but it is certainly a movie that found its way to the heart of a woman who only remembers a very few out of probably hundreds of movies I've seen. This is one I will remember.

I love Victor, the main character --- his insecurities, his fears, his honesty, and the way he ultimately wants to make himself vulnerable to the young girl he seeks, known as "Juicy Judy". I am intrigued by the way their relationship unfolds, the obstacles they face, the advice their friends give on the relationship. I enjoy the way I see the tearing down of emotional walls, the coming to terms with one's own needs and desires, the importance and necessity of family. I thought of the characters long after the movie was returned to the video store. This movie is so much more than what I expected. The acting is just beyond superb, and every situation in this film is so absolutely believable, you'll remember the days of your adolescence with sweet fondness. This is one of the most honest films I have seen in a long, long time.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves applause.
Review: Although independent films such as this have virtually no DVD extras, sometimes the subtleties of the film itself can more easily be grasped on the small screen than in the theater. I saw "Raising Victor Vargas" in both venues, and preferred the intimacy of the DVD.

"Juicy Judy", played by Judy Marte in Peter Sollett's 2003 independent film, "Raising Victor Vargas" has no intention of being impressed by the insouciant Victor (Victor Rasuk) of title fame. She's grown through adolescence in the poor area of New York's lower east side. She's remained aloof to the enticements that come to her because of her beauty and look of wariness. She prefers to spend her time with best friend Melonie (Melonie Diaz), talking about life and love; exasperated by how much she is approached by men and boys. She's drawn a shell about herself, her composure untouched, her lack of trust in anyone outside Melonie and her family is palpable. We see her early on with only one gesture of instantaneous emotion, and that is when she impulsively hugs and kisses her chubby little brother at the community pool. If Director Sollett missed anything in this movie, it is a better glimpse of Judy's family life, what things contributed to her sense of pride and why she is so comfortable in her aloneness, not falling prey to the syndrome that is pride and risk-taking by beautiful young girls.

We see Judy through the eyes of Victor Vargas. Victor appears to be much younger than he is - he's trying to live down a tryst with the "fat girl" Donna, in the neighborhood. Victor has been practicing his initial sexual moves with Donna, and, in the opening scene, they are clumsy and almost endearing. Less so is the speed with which he discards Donna. He needs to score with the beautiful Judy, who he sees at the neighborhood pool.

Undaunted by her declarations that "she has a man", he begins to pursue her, but in a manner that his own vulnerabilities show through. Judy begins to relax by having him around, senses that she can trust him, decides that he can at least be the brunt of others' advances to her, if he is her man. In a funny aside, friend Melonie shows absolutely no restraint with Victor's buddy, immediately beginning a teenage love affair.

Unlike his approach to Judy, Sollett allows us to see the manner in which Victor was raised, and it is through this understanding that we are drawn to him. Arrogant in his street persona, Victor is too open to not show his own fears and insecurities. He lives with his Grandma (the delightful Altagracia Guzman) and has to share a room in their crowded flat with younger sister Vicki (Krystal Roderiguez) and youngest brother Nino (Rasuk's brother Silvestre Rasuk)- all three are adolescents. It is obvious from the get go that the friction in the family is between Victor and the irascible Vicki and Victor and his grandma.

Raised on a peaceful farm in the Dominican Republic, Grandma tries hard to get used to city life. She has a straightforward way of dealing with indiscretions by the children. She is upset when Victor and Vicki fight over the phone, and installs a lock on the phone so that no one can use it. She's at her wits end as the children get older - any small indiscretion by Victor is cause for alarm, and she puts the fear of God in him by taking him to DCF and trying to give up her right to raise him. Although she has the grace to back down from her position, she's frightened all three kids by the lengths she is willing to go for her belief that they need to be a "nice family". She's instilled Catholic rituals in them, and all three accompany her to church. There is little doubt that she's had little education, and speaks English that is heavily accented. Grandma's Achilles heel is Nino, but then, Nino is so awkward, so loving and real, that it is hard for anyone to resist him. Nino is struggling with puberty, and a humorous incident of Grandma finding him masturbating in the bathroom is made all the more so by Grandma's insistence that it must be Victor who taught him to sin.

Victor's two worlds come together by his own design. Without a thought of what Judy will think of his family, or his family will think of Judy, he invites her to dinner. The awkwardness and awareness of the emotional ties between son and family and son and lover are illustrated beautifully by Sollett in a painful scenario that surprisingly, ends well.

Even if you've not recently lived with teenagers, you can sense the passage from the confused and insecure portrayal of early adolescence (Nino and Vicki) to the street-smart, tough talking but even more vulnerable 16 and older teens (Victor and Judy). You can feel the impact of poverty on the kids, but you can also see real life, not weighted down by crime and violence. You can sense how strong bonds are formed by the merest willingness of one kid to try to understand another kid, and to talk about what they are felling. You get a sense of the strength of respect between generations in Hispanic families and the retreat that the family provides from the outside world.

Sollett, previously having won awards for a short film, "Five Feet High and Rising", gives a marvelous novella (almost a pseudo-documentary) on the story of first love, on the powerful pull of family relationships, in a simple tale about real people. I hope he never loses his ability to tell a story as the budgets he is awarded get bigger and bigger.
The camera play is a little awkward, but the sequencing, editing, choices of backdrop and small bits of music are all gems in a realistic film that was one of my Top Ten in 2003.

Those who crave action and intricate plotting, or laugh out loud comedy will not find it in "Raising Victor Vargas", a rare little coming of age film with a superb cast of unknowns.

A definite must-see; you'll love the honesty of this film.

Rating:
Summary: A question (and a review)
Review: Does anyone know if this dvd includes the director's short film ... Five feet high & rising?

I saw the movie in the theater and loved it. The way the camera moves ... it puts you right in the story.

It is said that half of a director's job is to know where to place the camera. Well that half of the job has been done phenomenally well for this film.

If you havent seen this film, I encourage you to see it.

Rating:
Summary: Best flimsy film of 2003?
Review: How on earth was this film rated best indie film of 2003? I had to play cards just to keep myself amused.
I almost stopped the video to watch CSI on TV ( yes, it was that bad), but perservered in the hope that it (or victor) may redeem itself. Alas, it did not. Boring, but at least it was short.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Better Films I've Seen
Review: I hate superlatives over the top and final about how a movie was simply the best out there. But, Peter Sollett has made a nuanced gem in "Raising Victor Vargas." Why haven't more people heard about this movie?

"Raising Victor Vargas," is a coming of age story about love, life, poverty, inner-city, and family. Though it gives a good slice of culture in the Puerto Rican, Dominican, Latino lower East Side New York it transcends culture as well. It tells of humanity with ethnicity as an afterthought.

The cast is a group of non-professional actors that seem like they have been acting for years. This leaves the movie with a documentary feel that focuses on the story of boy becoming a man and a grandmother attempting to hold a family together as best she knows how...she ends up painfully growing too.

There's no big care chases, we don't get to witness people dying on screen, no big explosions or gun fights, but we are riveted by the tale. It proves the pundits wrong I believe...a movie doesn't have to be big Hollywood to gain an audience. "Victor Vargas" speaks for itself and running the course will keep drawing in audiences by word of mouth and reputation.

Victor finds a way to make the best out of life, to hold a family together, to gain a rite of passage to manhood, to fall in love along the way. Holden Caulfield watch out, Vargas is alive.

Rating:
Summary: UNEXPECTED GEM
Review: I have been going crazy for a few weeks now Tivo-ing shows (just switched to satellite and I'm a little bit overwhelmed with all the channels). I have heard the title of the movie before but have not heard anything about it with the exception of the synopsis, so I took a chance, and WHOA! This movie was great! It reminded me a little of Liberty Heights. I was impressed by the actors--these are the people that should be getting paid, getting roles--they were magnificent. I was laughing so hard and then the tears came. It started when an emotional Victor started speaking Spanish to his Grandmother at the Social Services office. Man, that just about broke my heart. The movie has it all--sweet, touching, hilarious, sentimental, heartbreaking.