Piñero (2001)

"Piñero" tells the story of the explosive life of a Latino icon, the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero, whose urban poetry is recognized as a pre-cursor to rap and hip-hop. After doing ... See full summary »

Director:

Leon Ichaso

Writer:

Leon Ichaso

Stars:

Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Talisa Soto

6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benjamin Bratt	...	Miguel Piñero
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Miguel Algarin
Talisa Soto	...	Sugar
Nelson Vasquez	...	Tito Goya
Michael Wright	...	Edgar Bowser
Michael Irby	...	Reinaldo Povod
Rita Moreno	...	Miguel's Mother
Jaime Sánchez	...	Miguel's Father (as Jamier Sanchez)
Rome Neal	...	Jake
Mandy Patinkin	...	Joseph Papp
Oscar A. Colon	...	Bodega Man (as Oscar Colon)
Miriam Cruz	...	Bodega Woman
Luis Caballero	...	Shooting Gallery Man
Sophia Domoulin	...	Shooting Gallery Woman
Robert Klein	...	Doctor

Storyline

"Piñero" tells the story of the explosive life of a Latino icon, the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero, whose urban poetry is recognized as a pre-cursor to rap and hip-hop. After doing time in hard-core Sing-Sing for petty thefts and drug dealing, Piñero's prison experiences developed into the 1974 Tony-nominated play Short Eyes. The resulting notoriety and fame was too much for the Latino bad-boy genius who retreated to the darker corners of New York City.

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Plot Keywords:

miguel piñero | drugs | sing sing | latino | new york city | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, strong language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Films [us] The film,cast, trailer

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 2002 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Pinero

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$21,750 (USA) (14 December 2001)

Gross:

$1,418,314 (USA) (28 February 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burnside Entertainment, GreeneStreet Films, Lower East Side Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 94 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Kojak (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Puerto Rico"
Written by Eddie Palmieri and Ismael Quintana
Published by Ying Yang Music
Administered by Memory Lane Music Corp. (BMI)
Performed by Ismael Quintana and Eddie Palmieri
Courtesy of Musical Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

my top five movies of the year

Pinero definitely makes it to my top five movies of the year 2001. It's one of the best movies I have seen. I completely dived into the story of this multifaceted artist who lived his live with drugs and poems, success and the streets of the Lower East Side.

Benjamin Bratt gives an astonishing performance - far off the "nice" characters he used to play. I completely bought into him being Pinero. I did not for one second think about him as Benjamin Bratt - he is Pinero with all his might.