Raising Victor Vargas

Released 2002
Stars Victor Rasuk, Judy Marte, Melonie Diaz, Altagracia Guzman, Silvestre Rasuk, Krystal Rodriguez, Kevin Rivera, Wilfree Vasquez
Directed by Peter Sollett

Raising Victor Vargas takes place in New York's Lower East Side, a rough-and-tumble neighborhood where the usual trappings of an urban story – drugs and gang violence – are absent. Victor (Victor Rasnuk) is a 16-year old Romeo who pretends to be a lot more experienced with girls than he actually is. When gossip starts circulating about him trying to lose his virginity to the aptly-named "Fat Donna," his reputation takes a big hit. To repair it, Victor decides to go after "Juicy Judy" (Judy Marte), an untouchable beauty who routinely fends off raunchy proposals from guys. Meanwhile, Victor's best buddy, Harold (Kevin Rivera), hones in on Judy's plain-Jane friend, Melonie (Melonie Diaz). Initially, Judy has no more interest in Victor than she has in any other boys. But he is persistent, and, eventually, she relents, agreeing to pretend to be "his girl" in order to keep other guys from asking her out. Melonie believes she should give Victor a chance, and Victor slowly learns that it takes more than false bravado and fake charm to woo someone like Judy.

The film also spends time developing Victor's home life. He lives in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment with his strict Catholic grandmother (Altagracia Guzman); his younger brother, Nino (Silvestre Rasuk, Victor's real-life sibling), who idolizes him; and his pudgy kid sister, Vicki (Krystal Rodriguez), who spends most of her life sitting on the couch. Grandma is suspicious of Victor – she believes his life to be a hotbed of sinful activity, and fears that his influence on Nino and Vicki will lead them astray.

Summary by James Berardinelli

It's very refreshing to see a teenage romance set in the projects that doesn't involve gangs, drugs or crimes of any sort. Despite the Kevin Smith-esque volume of f-words, these are good kids. The boys are punks who are so hopped up on hormones they can barely function, but that's the way it is for teenage boys. I remember the only time I wasn't thinking about sex was... wait, I don't remember a time when I wasn't thinking about it. I was going to say when I was sleeping, but I had the wildest dreams... The whole teenage thing makes me laugh because boys are so obsessed with girls, but very few know how to actually get them. Victor's demented idea about licking his lips was hilarious, but that's how boys think. This movie captures that awkward period where boys think girls will drop their pants if they see a boy with his shirt off, but it also captures a boy and girl learning what it takes to truly connect with each other. It's a special time in your life, and this movie captures it. It also handles the family conflict well. Victor doesn't act macho and leave when his grandma tries to evict him. He's scared, and he finds a way to quietly let his grandma understand the kids are growing up. It's a good film. --Bill Alward, September 18, 2004