Themes: Starting Over, Inner City Blues, Eccentric Families
Main Cast: Lauren Vélez, Jon Seda, Tomas Melly, Desiree Casado, Lisa Vidal, Griffin Dunne, Isaiah Garcia, Jesse Borrego, Rita Moreno
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A Hispanic woman unexpectedly discovers a new outlook on life after taking a new job in this heartfelt, observant comedy-drama. Young Bronx mother Lisette (Lauren Velez) has enough to deal with without taking a job, as she is struggling to raise her three young children and keep her marriage to bicycle messenger Chino (Jon Seda) afloat. When Chino is jailed after committing a robbery, however, Lisette turns to the want ads to find a new source of income. Expecting a one-time modeling gig, she stumbles into a position as assistant to Stephen Price (Griffin Dunne), a white music executive handling Latino music. Lisette proves a natural at the job, finding a new sense of purpose and self-assurance. Unfortunately, Chino isn't particularly grateful for her efforts, especially after hearing a rumor that Lisette has been cheating on him with Stephen. Director Darnell Martin populates her debut film with a mosaic of colorful supporting characters, ranging from Lisette's transsexual brother (Jesse Borrego) to Chino's meddling mother (Rita Moreno). Though the film presents a relatively old-fashioned story of self-realization, the knowing presentation of a multi-racial Bronx neighborhood enhances its vital feel. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
An unsurprising but mostly agreeable first feature from Darnell Martin, I Like It Like That appealingly marks its depiction of a predominately Latino area of the Bronx with honesty and some wit. Its setting lends the film freshness, and Lauren Velez gives a likable, spirited performance as a woman with aspirations to be something other than a harried housewife and mother. A creditable first effort by any standard, the film is on track for most of its running time, but suffers slightly from a silly subplot involving the lead character's music-business employment (and the relationship with her sleazy boss played by Griffin Dunne), which is out of tune with the rest of the picture. Shockingly, this is the first studio-film in history ever to be directed by a Latino woman; happily, it managed to find an audience upon release, giving hope to other female filmmakers with similar ambitions. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Larry Attile - Dispatcher; Marina Durrell - Cookie; Gloria Irizarry - Mrs. Gonzalez; Vincent Laresca - Angel; Gino Lucci - Price Photo Double; Joe Quintero - Pawnbroker; Billy Lux - Photographer; Jose Soto - Chris; Meg Simon; E.O. Nolasco - Tito
Credit
Theresa Carriker-Thayer - Art Director, Meg Simon - Casting, Diana Phillips - Co-producer, Sandra Hernandez - Costume Designer, H.H. Cooper - First Assistant Director, Darnell Martin - Director, Peter C. Frank - Editor, Wendy Finerman - Executive Producer, Sergio George - Composer (Music Score), Rosa Howell-Thornhill - Musical Direction/Supervision, Scott A. Chambliss - Production Designer, Alexander Gruszynski - Cinematographer, Ann Carli - Producer, Lane Janger - Producer, Susie Goulder - Set Designer, Darnell Martin - Screenwriter
