Themes: Writer's Life, Bohemian Life, Drug Addiction
Main Cast: Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Talisa Soto, Nelson Vasquez, Michael Irby, Mandy Patinkin
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
Plot
Miguel Pinero became a leading figure in New York's art scene during the 1970s as a poet, actor, and playwright whose vibrant, often pointed, work spoke directly to the lower classes and to disenfranchised minorities. As a founder of the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his poetry soon became recognized as a forerunner to rap and hip-hop music. TV screenwriter turned director Leon Ichaso spins this impressionistic biographical look at this artist. Raised in an abusive family, Pinero (Benjamin Bratt) turns to streets for solace. Soon he is engaging in petty crime, drug dealing, and addiction. When he finds himself in Sing-Sing, he turns his experiences in prison into the play Short Eyes, which eventually garners him seven Tony awards in 1974. Uncomfortable with his new fame, he clings to his girlfriend, Sugar (Talisa Soto), and his childhood buddy, Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is a literature professor and who co-founded the Nuyorican Cafe. Though Pinero makes cameos on such shows as Kojak, his art begins to suffer as he starts to succumb to his drug addictions. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Review
Shot with digital video, Leon Ichaso's rambling mood piece Piñero attempts to emulate poet/playwright Miguel Piñero's lyrical writing style. As Piñero, Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt is a charming rogue eternally smoking cigarettes and adjusting his fedora. With his scruffy beard, aviator sunglasses, and mop of curly brown hair, Bratt swaggers his way through scenes offering up raw words and wild gestures. His powerful screen presence against the backdrop of New York rooftops, smoky cafes, and crumbling flop houses is properly accompanied by a jazz soundtrack courtesy of Kip Hanrahan. These stylistic choices do well to fit the mood of the poet's life, but they do little to further the narrative. The only real information is offered in text form, summarizing the writer's life rather than setting up a story. The shaky handheld camera and arbitrary jolts to black-and-white too often feel like camera tricks implemented for no other reason than to look cool. The dialog also suffers from overdramatic lapses into poetry and ranting where straight conversation would've been helpful to break things up. These flaws can be overlooked for audiences who are already familiar with the man's story and just want to get a feel for his living, breathing words, but those looking for a biography may be disappointed. The film's circular construction makes it difficult to follow, but as a tribute to the late great poet it still gets all the sweaty, smoky tones right. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Michael Wright - Edgar; Rita Moreno - Miguel's Mother; Jaime Sanchez - Miguel's Father; Rome Neal - Jake; Amiri Baraka - Himself; Bill Boggs - Lennon Anchorman; Luis Caballero - Shooting Gallery Man; Oscar Colon - Bodega Man; O.L. Duke - Paul; Mateo Gomez - Auditorium Man; Panchito Gomez - Acting Inmate; Robert Klein - Doctor; Antonia Rey - Senora; Fisher Stevens - Public Theatre Cashier; Jaime Tirelli - Marty; Griffin Dunne - Agent; Jack O'Connell - Chauffeur; Valentina Quinn - Interviewer; Miriam Cruz - Bodega Woman; Bruno Iannone - Port Authority Cop; John Ortiz - Gang Member; Charles Sammarco - Strange Shower Guy; Ed Vassallo - Tito Arrest Cop; Al Rodriguez - Cuqui; Sophia Domoulin - Shooting Gallery Woman; Gilbert Collazo - Miguel As Teen; Samuel Bruce Campbell - Short Eyes Cop; Loraine Velez - Tutu; Eric Nieves - Nuyorican; Lisa Rhoden - P.A. Woman; Ray Santiago - Willie; Charles Santy - Lincoln; Vanessa Del Sol - Heist Woman; Amanda KC - Barrio Bar Woman; Tony Vazzo - Auditorium Man 2; Lydia Trueheart - Woman with Baby; Pedro Pietri - Himself; Jamal Joseph - Himself; Miguel Algarin - Himself; Tara Wilson - Tito's Girlfriend; Joanne Newborn - Fur Woman #1; Francine Berman - Fur Woman #2
Credit
Timothy Whidbee - Art Director, Glen Trotiner - Associate Producer, Lisa Rhoden - Associate Producer, Mike Decker - Boom Operator, Ellyn Long Marshall - Casting, Marie E. Nelson - Casting, Dadi Pinero - Consultant/advisor, Miguel Algarin - Consultant/advisor, Jamie Gordon - Co-producer, Sandra Hernandez - Costume Designer, Sukari McGill - Costume Designer, Glen Trotiner - First Assistant Director, Leon Ichaso - Director, David Tedeschi - Editor, John Leguizamo - Executive Producer, Kathy DeMarco - Executive Producer, Charlynne Hopson - Location Manager, Caroline Jaczko - Line Producer, Kip Hanrahan - Composer (Music Score), Kenny Vance - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ken Weiss - Musical Direction/Supervision, Larry Huston - Camera Operator, Sharon Lomofsky - Production Designer, Claudio Chea - Cinematographer, Ines Mongil - Production Manager, Fisher Stevens - Producer, John Penotti - Producer, Tim Williams - Producer, Billy Baldwin - Producer, Susan Ogu - Set Designer, Andrew Edelman - Sound Mixer, Richard Kondas - Sound Mixer, Ira Spiegel - Sound Editor, Mariusz Glabinski - Sound Editor, 701 Sound - Sound Editor, Marlena Grzaslewicz - Sound Editor, Bruce Kitzmeyer - Sound Editor, David Shumbris - Stunts, Peter Bucossi - Stunts Coordinator, Glen Trotiner - Unit Production Manager, Leon Ichaso - Screenwriter, Samuel B. Molina II - Production Assistant, Bob Barress - Production Assistant, Alexandra Codina - Production Assistant, Meagan Greynolds - Production Assistant, Victoria Hawes - Production Assistant, Lara Jones - Production Assistant, Howard Kreft - Production Assistant, Scott Lazar - Production Assistant, Abraham D. Levy - Production Assistant, Seth Meier - Production Assistant, Guillerma Moneo - Production Assistant, Julia Morgan - Production Assistant, Tiffany B. Nottage - Production Assistant, Andrea O'Connor - Production Assistant, Madeline Chang - Executive in Charge of Production, Boris Moshkovits - Publicist, Anna Samuel & Associates - Publicist, Anna Suslovsky - Publicist, Rob Salviotti - First Assistant Camera, Cliff Weisner - Gaffer, Louis Massa - Grip, Nestor Medina - Grip, Eric Gearity - Key Grip, Michael Jay - Music Editor, Peter Scherer - Musical Performer, Lisandro A. Arias - Musical Performer, Robby Ameen - Musical Performer, Alfred Armenteros - Musical Performer, Milton Cardona - Musical Performer, Edsel Gomez - Musical Performer, Andy Gonzalez - Musical Performer, Carlos Gonzalez - Musical Performer, Jerry Gonzalez - Musical Performer, Brian Lynch - Musical Performer, Orlando Rios - Musical Performer, Mario Rivera - Musical Performer, Abraham Rodriguez - Musical Performer, Felix Sanabria - Musical Performer, Fernando Saunders - Musical Performer, Mauricio Smith - Musical Performer, Victor Toro - Musical Performer, Alfredo Triff - Musical Performer, Angel Vasquez - Musical Performer, Mei-la Belmont - Production Coordinator, Sean Fogel - Production Supervisor, Edward P. Scoppa Jr. - Properties Master, Roberto Fernandez - Re-Recording Mixer, Anthony V. Pettine - Script Supervisor, Dean Garvin - Second Assistant Director, Matt Vogel - Special Effects Coordinator, Abbot Genser - Still Photographer, David Zambrana - Assistant Costumer Designer, Gloria Burke - Assistant Hair, Dan Lundy - Assistant Location Manager, Renee Didio - Assistant Makeup, Casey Block - Assistant Properties, Brooke Bramley - Assistant Properties, John Finn - Assistant Properties, JFA Inc. - Assistant Properties, Josh Schneider - Assistant Properties, John Woods - Best Boy Electric, Tim Glascoff - Best Boy Grip, James Casey - Electrician, Winsome Sinclair & Associates Casting - Extra Casting, Linda Toon - First Assistant Accountant, Paul Zucker - First Assistant Editor, Jay Peck - Foley Artist, Mary Cook - Key Hairstylist, Evelyne Noraz - Key Make-up, David Penotti - Post Production Assistant, Laura Kreft - Production Accountant, Sarah Berney - Scenic Artist, Amy Rice - Second Assistant Camera, Christine Leaman - Production Secretary
