Never once feels false or hits a sour note, and its actors don't seem at all like they're acting.
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05/26/03
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Raising Victor Vargas (2003)
96
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:104
Fresh:100
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: A coming-of-age tale marked by its authenticity.
Theatrical Release:Mar 28, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $1,965,981
Synopsis: Manhattan's gritty, majestic Lower East Side is the sweltering romantic playground for Victor Vargas (VICTOR RASUK), a self-styled teenaged Casanova who, despite his adolescent hubris, has a lot to... [More]
Starring: Victor Rasuk, Judy Marte, Melonie Diaz, Altagracia Guzman
Director: Peter Sollett
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Reviews for Raising Victor Vargas
Raising Victor Vargas is more than a terrific film -- it's a kind one.
05/22/03
Full of humor and heart, it is the best family comedy since Moonstruck.
05/16/03
In Raising Victor Vargas, everyone has feelings.
05/16/03
A coming-of-age story in which tenderness is silent but runs deep.
05/16/03
You keep waiting for it to not be awesome... and it keeps being awesome.
05/15/03
The narrative is thin, but the little-known cast (who helped writer-director Peter Sollett develop the characters) bring an element of realism to roles that defy stereotypes and pigeonholing.
05/15/03
The movie has a fresh, vibrant feel to it that gives its characters room to breathe and be themselves. The best part: Nobody wears out their welcome.
05/14/03
["Raising Victor Vargas"] is such a well crafted, good hearted teen romance I hope it gets deserved life in the after market.
05/12/03
A satisfying motion picture that wins its audience over because the characters are allowed to be themselves.
05/07/03
Top CriticProtagonists Rasuk and Marte are very good here, as are the others.
05/03/03
Raising Victor Vargas displays a sweet intelligence. It has a gritty charm about itself .
05/02/03
Writer-director Sollett has a honed, at-home cast and a deft, funny sense of eros. The many close-ups establish intimacy, though at times this feels like a case study in sex and urban density.
05/02/03
For those sick of the tired conventions of 'rom-coms' (as Hollywood wags call romantic comedies), Vargas is a refreshing cure, frank about healthy teenage curiosity and sexuality in ways that don't make them punchlines to smutty jokes.
05/02/03
Top CriticThere's nothing in the utterly enchanting Raising Victor Vargas you haven't seen before; you'd just be hard-pressed to name another movie that did it as well.
05/02/03
It is rare to find a film that defies one's expectations as sweetly and satisfyingly as this coming-of-age comedy-drama.
05/02/03
In every aspect of filmmaking and intent this picture is peerless, so truly real, funny, poignant and sexy that it almost feels like a watershed cinematic moment.
05/01/03
Every frame of this movie feels real.
05/01/03
Top CriticRaising Victor Vargas has landed exactly the right actors for a script that already gets points for respecting its teenage characters.
05/01/03
Top CriticThe film offers a realistic and funny slice of life.
05/01/03
Top CriticWhat’s Hot On RT
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