Piñero (2001)
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43% of critics liked it
(61 reviews) -
69% of users liked it
(934 ratings)
Miguel Pinero became a leading figure in New York's art scene during the 1970s as a poet, actor, and playwright whose vibrant, often pointed, work spoke directly to the lower classes and to disenfranchised minorities. As a founder of the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his poetry soon became… More Miguel Pinero became a leading figure in New York's art scene during the 1970s as a poet, actor, and playwright whose vibrant, often pointed, work spoke directly to the lower classes and to disenfranchised minorities. As a founder of the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his poetry soon became recognized as a forerunner to rap and hip-hop music. TV screenwriter turned director Leon Ichaso spins this impressionistic biographical look at this artist. Raised in an abusive family, Pinero (Benjamin Bratt) turns to streets for solace. Soon he is engaging in petty crime, drug dealing, and addiction. When he finds himself in Sing-Sing, he turns his experiences in prison into the play Short Eyes, which eventually garners him seven Tony awards in 1974. Uncomfortable with his new fame, he clings to his girlfriend, Sugar (Talisa Soto), and his childhood buddy, Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is a literature professor and who co-founded the Nuyorican Cafe. Though Pinero makes cameos on such shows as Kojak, his art begins to suffer as he starts to succumb to his drug addictions. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 43 min.
- Directed By
- Leon Ichaso
- Written By
- Leon Ichaso
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
- In Theaters
- Dec 31, 2002 Wide
- On DVD
- Jul 16, 2002
- Studio
- Miramax Films
Critic Reviews
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Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Overlapping the artist's biography and his work, writer-director Leon Ichaso pointedly reflects the chaos in his subject's shortish life, but he links the artist's frustrations and talent in the usual manner: as cause and effect.
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Dennis Harvey, Variety
A scattershot stab at a fascinating life and times.
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Loren King, Chicago Tribune
A vivid rendering of the complexities of the artist's soul, and a notable attempt to convey the trajectory of a volatile creative life.
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Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Bratt's performance is as steady and consistent as the film is frustrating.
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Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Bratt ... takes a giant step forward in terms of credibility.
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Cast
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Benjamin Brattas Miguel -
Giancarlo Espositoas Miguel Algarin -
Talisa Sotoas Sugar
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Nelson Vasquezas Tito -
Mandy Patinkinas Joseph Papp -
Michael Irbyas Reinaldo Povod
Photos
