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Piñero
Miramax Films


10.0

based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

El Cantante

MPAA RATING: R for drug use, strong language and sexuality

Starring Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Talisa Soto, Nelson Vasquez, Rita Moreno, and Mandy Patinkin

Benjamin Bratt stars in the true story of the turbulent and creative life of Puerto Rican poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero. (Miramax Films)

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Leon Ichaso
DIRECTED BY:	Leon Ichaso
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: July 16, 2002 Video: July 16, 2002 Theatrical: December 14, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	100 minutes, Color / BW
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

A daring, free-spirited and ultimately moving performance by Benjamin Bratt lies at the beating heart of Pinero.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Ichaso moves easily between a black-and-white past and a full-color present, maintaining a pace as buoyant and rhythmic as the beat of the infectious Latin music that accompanies the film.

Chicago Tribune Loren King

It wisely lets us hear Pinero's words for ourselves, and in the end, they echo louder than the images that accompany them.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

It is a career-defining performance that could catapult the 37-year-old actor beyond bland romantic leads and into the kinds of juicy anti-heroic parts once gobbled up by Mr. Hoffman and Robert De Niro.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Ichaso tells Piñero's story through a sometimes disorienting series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, fracturing the time frame to suit the film's internal rhythms, rather than any coherent time line.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Piñero never comes close to convincing us that this guy is worth a movie at all.

New Times (L.A.) Andy Klein

What Ichaso does do is take us on a dizzying, constantly moving ride through an exciting decade in the blossoming of "Nuyorican" culture with its most flamboyant figure as our focus.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

A biopic that is as messy as the life it details.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

A well-intentioned, reverential but unenlightening portrait. It pays tribute to the artist. Yet it doesn't scrutinize him.

LA Weekly Steven Mikulan

The main drawback is Claudio Chea's vertiginous camera work -- and the print's continual alternations between black-and-white and color add nothing but a distracting ornamentation.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Not a man, but the romanticizing of him. A lot of jive-shit.

Film Threat Michael Dequina

Bratt's fast-talking, all-attitude interpretation is showboating without soul -- which can be said of the entire movie.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

This character was an abusive swine. Perhaps it would be best to let his art stand on its own.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

At its most indulgent and posturing, Piñero plays like a movie the man himself might've made, between scores.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

There's a strong movie in this life, but writer-director Leon Ichaso ("Sugar Hill") hasn't found it.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Hectic, sketchy and finally dull.

Salon.com Charles Taylor

A sustained piece of showboating mythmaking, and something of a snow job.

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Odie A. gave it a 10:
I think benjamin bratt did a terrific job in this movie, it was an mind altering adventure of poetic rythms acted out with passion, when i saw ben in this movie i saw pinero, a modern genius of a man who needed his moment in history to be a little brighter in my eyes, he portrayed this artist with conviction soul authority with the leadership of a che or malcom x....one of the best movies ive ever seen.

Anna gave it a 10:
I feel that all of the negative feedback comes from people with no open mind and no love for art. Benjamin Bratt played the role to its fullest. I "felt" what he was saying. I could almost believe that somewhere in Benjamin was Pinero... Benjamin you are on my favorite actors list.. Good Job!!!

Anonymous gave it a 10:
Despite the heavy negative criticism, this movie as a piece of film-as-art stands apart from the rest. The multilayed visuals and constant pushing of the visual aesthetic keeps this movie going. Benjamin Bratt, I didn't think you had it in you, you gave one of the best perfomances of the year!

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Piñero Miramax Films

Piñero
Miramax Films