IMDb > Raising Victor Vargas (2002)
Raising Victor Vargas
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Raising Victor Vargas (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Raising Victor Vargas (2002) -- A Lower East Side teen-ager struggles to find some sanity while surrounded by an eccentric grandmother, a crazy new girlfriend, and a longing younger brother.
Raising Victor Vargas (2002) -- A Lower East Side teen-ager struggles to find some sanity while surrounded by an eccentric grandmother, a crazy new girlfriend, and a longing younger brother.
Raising Victor Vargas (2002) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   3,502 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Peter Sollett

Writers:

Peter Sollett (story)
Peter Sollett (written by)
more

Contact:

View company contact information for Raising Victor Vargas on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

30 May 2003 (Turkey) more

Genre:

Drama | Romance more

Plot:

A Lower East Side teen-ager struggles to find some sanity while surrounded by an eccentric grandmother, a crazy new girlfriend, and a longing younger brother. full summary | add synopsis

Awards:

3 wins & 8 nominations more

NewsDesk:
(13 articles)

The Burg Returns With A New Episode
 (From Filmmaker Magazine. 22 October 2009, 7:13 PM, PDT)

Best Hs Flicks Since John Hughes' Heyday
 (From newser. 20 September 2009, 9:08 AM, PDT)

User Comments:

Neither well made nor realistic more (129 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Victor Rasuk ... Victor Vargas
Judy Marte ... 'Juicy' Judy Gonzalez

Melonie Diaz ... Melonie
Altagracia Guzman ... Grandma

Silvestre Rasuk ... Nino Vargas
Krystal Rodriguez ... Vicki de la Cruz
Kevin Rivera ... Harold
Wilfree Vasquez ... Carlos
Donna Maldonado ... Fat Donna
Alexander Garcia ... Al
John Ramos ... Macho
Theresa Martinez ... Judy's Mom
Randy Luna ... Pool Boy #3
Jeff Knite ... Pool Boy #4 (as Jeff Asencio)
Juan I. Lebron ... Israel
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

Long Way Home (France)
Raising Victor Vargas (Canada: English title) (festival title)
more

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Canal+ more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The film's working title was "Long Way Home". more

Quotes:

Judy: You're so easy to see through, it's embarrassing. more

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004) (TV) more

Soundtrack:

Casado y Cansado (No Puedo Mas) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
164 out of 245 people found the following comment useful.
Neither well made nor realistic, 26 October 2003
2/10
Author: Caroline Mitchell from Long Beach

Someone will have to explain to me why every film that features poor people and adopts a pseudo-gritty look is somehow seen as "realistic" by some people.

I didn't see anything realistic about the characters (although the actors did their best with really bad parts) or the situations. Instead, I saw a forced, self-conscious effort at being "edgy", "gritty" and "down and dirty".

Sadly, it takes a lot more than hand-holding the camera without rhyme or reason and failing to light the film to achieve any of the above qualities in any significant way.

It's a sad commentary on the state of independent film distribution that the only films that see the inside of a movie theater are nowadays all carbon copies, with bad cinematography, non-existent camera direction and a lot of swearing striving to pass themselves as "Art".

It's little wonder that films like "In the Bedroom" or "About Schmidt" get such raves. I found them to be meandering and very average, but compared to the current slew of independent clones like "Raising victor Vargas" they are outright brilliant and inspired.

A few years ago seeing an "independent" film meant that you would likely be treated to some originality and a lot of energy and care, and maybe a few technical glitches caused by the low budgets, nowadays, it means that chances are you'll get yet another by-the-numbers, let's-shake-the-camera-around-for-two-hours attempt at placating the lack of taste of independent distributors. And of course all that to serve characters and situations that are completely unreal and contrived.

Is it any surprise that the independent marketplace has fewer and fewer surviving companies? Not at all when you see films like Raising Victor Vargas that do nothing but copy the worst of the films that preceded them.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (129 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Raising Victor Vargas (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
GREATCASTING / THE BROTHERS HAD TO BE BROTHERS THEY LOOKED SO MUCH ALIKE RMario9
Victor Obama marythefairy09
the grandma i_love_nikki_reed
don't understand XxMissDaniexX
encore :another one please!!!!!!!!!Thank You! leo1586
was not impressed nchantal_smiles
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