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Raising Victor Vargas

Play trailer Poster for Raising Victor Vargas R 2003 1h 28m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 108 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
On New York City's Lower East Side, Dominican teen and aspiring ladies' man Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk) has nothing but girls on his mind. Though he talks a big game at the local pool, Vargas' true experience amounts to nothing more than a string of romantic rejections. After Vargas fails to improve his abysmal reputation by bedding an overweight classmate, he chooses a much more difficult target -- the stunning and stuck-up Judy Ramirez (Judy Marte).
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Raising Victor Vargas

Raising Victor Vargas

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Critics Consensus

A coming-of-age tale marked by its authenticity.

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Critics Reviews

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Neil Norman London Evening Standard 01/11/2018
Peter Sollett's remarkable movie about the lives and loves of Latino teenagers in New York's Lower East Side is an unexpected treat. Go to Full Review
Stella Papamichael BBC.com 09/09/2003
4/5
A keenly observed, captivating, and innately funny portrait of teenagers coming to terms with their sexuality. Go to Full Review
Geoff Pevere Toronto Star 07/05/2003
4/5
A marvel of closely observed, intimately captivating moments. Go to Full Review
David Walsh World Socialist Web Site 02/16/2021
The work avoids a variety of clichés and attempts to take seriously its young protagonists' lives and dilemmas. Go to Full Review
Felicia Feaster Creative Loafing 02/04/2020
Few films capture how hostile and enormous the world can be for children and the defenses they create to cope, but this easygoing, lovely film does, to great, tender effect. Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal 09/17/2010
4/4
Writer/director Peter Sollett refreshingly avoids placing characters into lazy traps of pregnancy, betrayal or violence. These are intelligent, thoughtful teenagers whom you'll fondly remember as struggling through desires and instincts. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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John M Oct 18 I stumbled across this movie, and didn't expect anything special. Wow! The acting (every single actor), the filming, the sound, but above all the story; all special. I absolutely love this film. So happy to see such a high rating by the tomato critics. I hope it got the recognition it was due. My hat is off to the writer/director, Peter Sollett, Eva Vives, and everyone else involved in making this film. I look at the $2M gross and it saddens me. Ouch! Punished for making something so genuine. See more helder f @uniquecliches Feb 19 This is a great movie, despite its simplicity. Victor Vargas is the eldest of three siblings under the guardianship of their strict yet well-meaning grandmother in lower East Side Manhattan. Each of the children struggles with personal issues and they are not always there for one another. Victor, however, is not one to show his vulnerable side. This movie will likely resonate with certain communities, but it’s a heartwarming tale of growth and adversity that transcends background. The plot is mostly lighthearted. It could be a coming-of-age story, but the plot is stronger at characterizing the issues than at showing how the characters overcome them. The camera work is distracting, as Victor’s height fluctuates between 6 and 5 feet. See more 09/18/2020 You know you are watching a good movie when it stirs a multitude of emotions in you, this was such a tender movie. It felt so real, the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job. I wish more movies like this would be produced because it portrays Latinos in a positive light, with strone values and principles. See more 01/08/2020 Raising Victor Vargas is the tale of a New York kid who is not as cool as he pretends to be. I found the character of Victor quite irritating because he presents himself as a total douche, and he’s also a little clueless. A dumb douche is hard to watch for even a few minutes, let alone a feature-length film. His behavior with his family doesn’t get much better, and while I understand why the grandmother shouldn’t get rid of him, I could sympathize with her desire to see him go. His friendships and relationships all seem superficial, and I wonder if he’s ever been genuine with anyone. His brother and sister are only slightly better than him, but they have their own problems that make them tough to watch as well. I do not care that much for coming of age dramas, and it’s even harder for me to care when the main characters are unpleasant. I also did not enjoy the lack of direction or structure to Raising Victor Vargas. I never felt like the film was going anywhere. I’m not even convinced that Victor experienced any growth or change over the course of the film. I would not be surprised if the exact same series of events happened mere days later, and once again he was at risk of being locked out of his grandmother’s home. I suspect some of the things going on in this film were meant to be humorous, but I was not laughing. It all was depressing and kind of pathetic. It also felt so small. There were very few sets, only a handful of actors, almost no extras, and so on. I suspect a local repertory theater troupe could stage a version of Raising Victor Vargas and it would look just as good. I simply did not connect with this film in any fashion, and don’t think it’s the type of thing I’ll ever need to revisit. See more nefasto r @Nefasto 01/27/2018 It is a nice simple indi about family/love. The realism of it is what it saved it for me. Definitely not the actors, nor the amazingly thin plot. More then watchable, even good if you empathize with the characters. Still I think is a bit overrated. See more 08/20/2014 Parts of it focuses on how females will fall for anything to give up the booty early on... then the romance lol See more Read all reviews
Raising Victor Vargas

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Movie Info

Synopsis On New York City's Lower East Side, Dominican teen and aspiring ladies' man Victor Vargas (Victor Rasuk) has nothing but girls on his mind. Though he talks a big game at the local pool, Vargas' true experience amounts to nothing more than a string of romantic rejections. After Vargas fails to improve his abysmal reputation by bedding an overweight classmate, he chooses a much more difficult target -- the stunning and stuck-up Judy Ramirez (Judy Marte).
Director
Peter Sollett
Producer
Scott Macaulay, Robin O'Hara, Peter Sollett, Alain de la Mata
Screenwriter
Peter Sollett, Peter Sollett, Eva Vives
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
Canal+, Forensic Films, StudioCanal
Rating
R (Strong Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 28, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 28, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.1M
Runtime
1h 28m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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