raise victor vargas represent a reviewyou know and raise victor vargas be like stick your hand into a big and steam bowl of oatmeal . it warm and gooey and but youre not sure if it feel right . try a i might and no matter how warm and gooey raise victor vargas become i be always aware that something do not quite feel right . victor vargas suffers from a certain overconfidence on the director part . apparently and the director think that the ethnic backdrop of a latino family on the low east side and and an idyllic storyline would make the film critic proof . he be right and but it do not fool me . raise victor vargas be the story about a seventeen year old boy call and you guess it and victor vargas ( victor rasuk ) who live his teenage year chase more skirt than the rolling stone could do in all the year they have tour . the movie start off in ` ugly fat donna bedroom where victor be sure to seduce her and but a cry from outside disrupts his plan when his best friend harold ( kevin rivera ) come a look for him . caught in the attempt by harold and his sister and victor vargas run off for damage control . yet even with the embarrass implication that he be boffing the homely girl in the neighborhood and nothing dissuades young victor from go off on the hunt for more fresh meat . on a hot and new york city day they make way to the local public swimming pool where victor eye catch a glimpse of the lovely young nymph judy ( judy marte ) and who not just pretty and but a strong and independent too . the relationship that develop between victor and judy become the focus of the film . the story also focus on victor family that be comprise of his grandmother or abuelita ( altagracia guzman ) and his brother nino ( also play by real life brother to victor and silvestre rasuk ) and his sister vicky ( krystal rodriguez ) . the action follow victor between scene with judy and scene with his family . victor try to cope with be an oversexed pimp daddy and his feeling for judy and his grandmother conservative catholic upbringing . the problem that arise from raise victor vargas be a few and but glare error . throughout the film you get to know certain character like vicky and nino and grandma and judy and even judy best friend melonie . the problem be and we know nothing of victor vargas except that he be the big gigolo in the neighborhood . we know that he know how to lick his lip and and comb his fro and and carry himself for the sake of woo girl into the sack and but that all . we know that nino play piano and and quiet well and you could see it by the award on the family piano . we know his sister nicki and be a gossip love girl with an invested interest in watch tv . we know that grandma be a hard work traditional latina woman who try to raise her kid with conservatively in a world of excess corruption . yet where be the titular character and victor vargas . he in this movie somewhere and but we only know what the movie tell u . this be by far the film big flaw . victor vargas isn not so much a character but a ping pong ball and bounce between scene with judy and his grandmother and but we never get to know who victor vargas really be . this be important because a i have mention the only thing we know of victor vargas be that he a sexually active teenager with a libido the size of manhattan . he a total alpha male . victor vargas be not the kind of character i sympathize with at all . why should anyone . so by the end of the movie and in the aftermath of the climax be we truly lead to believe that somehow victor vargas have attain any depth and learn the error of his way . how could such a two dimensional character have any depth . if only the director have worry a little more about flesh out his main character instead of worry about get that perfect hand hold shot . raise victor vargas bring to life the world of the latino inner city neighborhood to the big screen . something that few film have do before in the past . the film have be compliment for feel so real and and i would notargue with that . i haven not see this level of reality since cbs air survivor . seriously and although the movie have some nice shot of the city and the writer or director peter sollett be way too dependent on close ups and hand hold shot . this problem be particularly notice in indoor scene that be so claustrophobic i be force to perform deep breathing exercise to keep from pass out . a the film continue and the shot get tight and tight with face crop from brow to chin on the screen while you can practically smell victor vargas cheap cologne . the overall effect be unrealistic in contrast . the indoor scene of inner city apartment make them look small and cramp and which be not true . i have be in those type apartment while i use to live in one . theyre not splendorous but they have high ceiling and theyre decent living space . by the movie standard you would think that these apartment be 5x5 cell of brick and mortar and chip paint and crack wall . unfortunately and sollett constant use of close ups and one particularly bad shot with a zoom in on one scene come off a totally amateurish . but raise victor vargas be only sollett second film and and his most well know and a solid effort in filmmaking that will hopefully get well a he continue to make film . one review i read summarize the movie a and ` ethnicity for ethnicity sake and and i can not agree more . if victor vargas be truly a great film and story and then the character applicability wouldn not matter whether they be latino and chinese and etc . yet if you be to take this story and stick it in middle class suburbia with a bunch of teeny bopper white kid the result wouldn not be such glowing review and and we would see the film flaw more clearly . indeed and some other aspect of the use of latino in this film bother me . while some aspect of victor vargas be accurate others i have to question . for example and victor and nino and vicky all share the same room to sleep . this set off an alarm for me because it seem contrary to what i believe . any self respecting latino family wouldn not have two old brother share the same room with a thirteen year old girl . at first i be unsure and perhaps i be wrong and but after speak with my grandmother i know my problem with this be justified . consider how conservative the grandmother be and you would think that vicky would have be sleep in her room . a a latino who grow up in a somewhat conservative cuban household and raise by my grandmother while my mother be work full time and i could relate to the movie in many way and which be why my critical viewpoint be bittersweet because i really want to love this movie . unfortunately and my lack of respect for victor vargas sabotage my feeling for the film . maybe it because victor vargas remind me of those guy who be get lay while i be play with my sega genesis when i be seventeen . maybe it because without any further introspection by the film and victor vargas be merely a stereotypical hot blood latino and who will just end up shout to girl from his car and ` hey bay bee and ju want to get into my luv mah cheen . either way i do not like him and so ultimately how can i like a film about him . so if you will excuse me and i be go to go stick my hand into a bowl of grit .