Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe I made it thru the whole film, awake!!!
Review: This film is enough to put anyone to sleep. On;y the gorgeous Melonie Diaz(who plays an ugly duckiling here), and the Grandmother's odd behavior keep ones attention. The charcter Victor Vargas has no personality, and yo can't really get into his charecter, because he doesn't have one. Like I said the Grandmother's odd demeaner and the fat sister make this film interesting. Worth one watch, if you have absolutely nothing better to do or watch. Personlly I'd rather watch TBN!
Rating: 
Summary: Misconceptions galore
Review: This this is not a love story by and large, it's a fictional tale about the realities in the life of Victor Vargas. That fact is illustrated by the title. Although the cover and back description as well as other reviews point out the romantic subplot it's really about how he gets along with his family and friends. What makes this interesting to me is that I don't live in his reality and I don't have a guardian who only speaks fractured English and doesn't know about laws concerning minors. The misunderstandings and generation/culture gap in this film could tear them apart, but it doesn't by God's grace. It was interesting to me, but it felt a little empty due to the fact that this is fiction acting as a picture of these peoples' everyday life situation so when it ends you're not sure that any progress has been made, only that risk was taken on Victor's part to seal his relationship the girl. What impact has this had on his relationship with his family, this film doesn't know. It feels like every relationship in this movie is still in it's infancy. It's like Peter Sollett, the director felt that simply showing real situations would be enough to be compelling and entertaining and whole. 'Raising Victor Vargas' may be the first two things, but it doesn't seem complete. I just hope that he's learned something from this film which borrowed liberally from his approach on his award-winning short film "Five feet high and Rising." The short film worked better because it didn't really need to feel like it was a whole because it was short, but it was filled up with so many compelling relationships and elements and truth and reality that it was easy to forget that you were watching something fictional. In this feature you know that it's supposed to be fictional, however it doesn't provide you with the payoffs that good fiction bring in terms of character development, payoff, and closure.
Rating: 
Summary: The Anti-Beckam
Review: Why are people so shocked that they liked this movie? What we have here is a simple coming-of-age story that treats its characters with such honesty that it has the force of revelation. Set in the predominantly Dominican and Puerto Rican Lower East Side of New York City, acted by non-professional kids from that neighborhood, Victor Vargas often has a documentary feel.But don't be fooled. This gem is the result of untold hours of polishing. The story moves at its own pace and seemingly randomly, yet every second of the film is building toward a climax as unforced and poignant as first love. The way Victor Vargas treats culture makes it the opposite of Bend It Like Beckham, another independent film that is doing well across the country. In Beckham, culture is the basis for facile jokes, strained conflict and stereotypes. In Victor Vargas, it is an invisible force that informs the characters but doesn't overwhelm their humanity. To anyone who enjoyed Beckham, I challenge you not to enjoy Victor Vargas ten times more.
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