This is a great movie, despite its simplicity. Victor Vargas is the eldest of three siblings under the guardianship of their strict yet well-meaning grandmother in lower East Side Manhattan. Each of the children struggles with personal issues and they are not always there for one another. Victor, however, is not one to show his vulnerable side. This movie will likely resonate with certain communities, but it’s a heartwarming tale of growth and adversity that transcends background. The plot is mostly lighthearted. It could be a coming-of-age story, but the plot is stronger at characterizing the issues than at showing how the characters overcome them. The camera work is distracting, as Victor’s height fluctuates between 6 and 5 feet.

realistic asf it shows the awkward and real life not jus sum fantasy love story

You know you are watching a good movie when it stirs a multitude of emotions in you, this was such a tender movie. It felt so real, the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job. I wish more movies like this would be produced because it portrays Latinos in a positive light, with strone values and principles.

Raising Victor Vargas is the tale of a New York kid who is not as cool as he pretends to be. I found the character of Victor quite irritating because he presents himself as a total douche, and he’s also a little clueless. A dumb douche is hard to watch for even a few minutes, let alone a feature-length film. His behavior with his family doesn’t get much better, and while I understand why the grandmother shouldn’t get rid of him, I could sympathize with her desire to see him go. His friendships and relationships all seem superficial, and I wonder if he’s ever been genuine with anyone. His brother and sister are only slightly better than him, but they have their own problems that make them tough to watch as well. I do not care that much for coming of age dramas, and it’s even harder for me to care when the main characters are unpleasant. I also did not enjoy the lack of direction or structure to Raising Victor Vargas. I never felt like the film was going anywhere. I’m not even convinced that Victor experienced any growth or change over the course of the film. I would not be surprised if the exact same series of events happened mere days later, and once again he was at risk of being locked out of his grandmother’s home. I suspect some of the things going on in this film were meant to be humorous, but I was not laughing. It all was depressing and kind of pathetic. It also felt so small. There were very few sets, only a handful of actors, almost no extras, and so on. I suspect a local repertory theater troupe could stage a version of Raising Victor Vargas and it would look just as good. I simply did not connect with this film in any fashion, and don’t think it’s the type of thing I’ll ever need to revisit.

It is a nice simple indi about family/love. The realism of it is what it saved it for me. Definitely not the actors, nor the amazingly thin plot. More then watchable, even good if you empathize with the characters. Still I think is a bit overrated.

Parts of it focuses on how females will fall for anything to give up the booty early on... then the romance lol

Raising Victor Vargas" is an interesting, vicarious cultural study. Sad and sweet. Poses a the well-loved dramatic question we see in a plethora of movies ranging from Disney's "Snow White" to "Crazy/Beautiful" (Kirsten Dunst): can love save us from the grittiness of life? You have to be in the mood for the production values of independent film to appreciate this quirky story.

Sweet little indy film.

Some of the younger actors overact the thug aspect of their characters and it gets annoying. But the charm of the cast is great and the story is very engaging. Highly recommend.

It's simple, funny, insightful and authentically acted. Raising Victor Vargas doesn't try to be anything more then a simple coming of age love story and it fully succeeds.

A realistic teen story

I didnt find this particularly illuminating or funny, but theres something to be said about the performances, which feel authentic and warm, and the way Sollett took every opportunity to show them off.

Highly overlooked inner city drama that rings true about young adolescence.

Very intriguing, it delivers a brief over-look over the lives of teens in an realistic manner, and doesn't stereotype in its approach, quite splendid.

One of my favorite movies! So simple and poignant. Indie filmmaking at its best!!!

Excellent Teen movie!

Much like it's main character, it charms you until you love it.

It's... just... true.

Refreshingly understated coming-of-age story hits all the right notes. It's low budget adds to the flavor, but the real show here is the script and the performances. Writer-director Peter Sollett elects to reveal the insecurities of his characters, which adds real depth and poignancy to the drama. The acting by the largely nonprofessional cast is superb. Meticulously shot by Tim Orr.

made me want sum NYC