Raising Victor Vargas 2002

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The R rating is understandable, but absurd. This is a family film in the most complicated and, ultimately, most cheering sense. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: It is throughly involving, depicting the real and recognizable frustrations of teenagers and the grown-ups who have responsibility for them. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: There'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. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: Raising Victor Vargas gets everything just right. Read more

Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune: Both intimate and universal, the film ripples with little human moments we've all lived, whether or not we were raised on Manhattan's poor Lower East Side. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: Mr. Sollett's accomplishment is the film's matter-of-fact solidity; he makes you wonder what his creations are doing when they're off screen. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: His film may be something of a beautiful lie, but what's true about Sollett's characters is that their dreams, their grace and their struggles are as real as it gets. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Every frame of this movie feels real. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The writer-director, Peter Sollett, cast the film with kids from his own neighborhood, who give themselves over to the camera with a spirit of improvised play that morphs into vivid, layered acting. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: A delightful example of what happens when a rather slight story is handled with passion, humor and care. Read more

Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly: It's the authenticity of the characters, and the skill of the largely nonprofessional cast at letting them come alive, that make the movie such a dazzler. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Real, sweet and often really sweet. Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: A comedy in the best sense -- it draws its life from the pitch-perfect authenticity of its characters. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: It is warm, generous, courtly, compassionate and humanistic in the best sense. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: A satisfying motion picture that wins its audience over because the characters are allowed to be themselves. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: It's the kind of movie you know you can trust, and you give yourself over to affection for these characters who are so lovingly observed. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: A modest and tightly focused picture, and its very directness makes it piercingly intimate. Read more

Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle: A gritty but sweet look at young love and family dynamics. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: 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. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: A marvel of closely observed, intimately captivating moments. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: Raising Victor Vargas has landed exactly the right actors for a script that already gets points for respecting its teenage characters. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Tender and funny. Read more