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Piñero
Miramax Films

Piñero reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 40 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
10.0 out of 10
based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

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 

What The Critics Said

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.
Read Full Review
80
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.
Read Full Review
75
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.
Read Full Review
70
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.
Read Full Review
60
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.
Read Full Review
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Piñero never comes close to convincing us that this guy is worth a movie at all.
Read Full Review
50
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.
Read Full Review
50
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
A biopic that is as messy as the life it details.
40
Washington Post Desson Thomson
A well-intentioned, reverential but unenlightening portrait. It pays tribute to the artist. Yet it doesn't scrutinize him.
Read Full Review
40
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.
Read Full Review
40
Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
Not a man, but the romanticizing of him. A lot of jive-shit.
Read Full Review
40
Film Threat Michael Dequina
Bratt's fast-talking, all-attitude interpretation is showboating without soul -- which can be said of the entire movie.
Read Full Review
30
Washington Post Rita Kempley
This character was an abusive swine. Perhaps it would be best to let his art stand on its own.
Read Full Review
30
Village Voice Michael Atkinson
At its most indulgent and posturing, Piñero plays like a movie the man himself might've made, between scores.
Read Full Review
30
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
There's a strong movie in this life, but writer-director Leon Ichaso ("Sugar Hill") hasn't found it.
Read Full Review
20
Variety Dennis Harvey
Hectic, sketchy and finally dull.
Read Full Review
20
Salon.com Charles Taylor
A sustained piece of showboating mythmaking, and something of a snow job.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!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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