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Piñero

  • 20012001
  • RR
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
60,796
140
Piñero (2001)
Trailer
Play trailer1:30
2 Videos
12 Photos
BiographyDrama
Miguel Pinero's creative and turbulent life was cut short at age 40: a Tony Award nominee who did time at Sing-Sing, a volatile urban poet whose work is recognized as a precursor to rap and ... Read allMiguel Pinero's creative and turbulent life was cut short at age 40: a Tony Award nominee who did time at Sing-Sing, a volatile urban poet whose work is recognized as a precursor to rap and hip-hop, and a writer of hit TV shows.Miguel Pinero's creative and turbulent life was cut short at age 40: a Tony Award nominee who did time at Sing-Sing, a volatile urban poet whose work is recognized as a precursor to rap and hip-hop, and a writer of hit TV shows.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
60,796
140
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Leon Ichaso
    • Writer
      • Leon Ichaso
    • Stars
      • Benjamin Bratt
      • Giancarlo Esposito
      • Talisa Soto
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Leon Ichaso
    • Writer
      • Leon Ichaso
    • Stars
      • Benjamin Bratt
      • Giancarlo Esposito
      • Talisa Soto
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 26User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
    • 40Metascore
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos2

    Pinero
    Trailer 1:30
    Pinero
    Pinero
    Trailer 1:31
    Pinero

    Photos12

    Benjamin Bratt in Piñero (2001)
    Talisa Soto and Benjamin Bratt in Piñero (2001)
    Benjamin Bratt in Piñero (2001)
    Benjamin Bratt and Giancarlo Esposito in Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)
    Piñero (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Benjamin Bratt
    Benjamin Bratt
    • Miguel Piñero
    Giancarlo Esposito
    Giancarlo Esposito
    • Miguel Algarin
    Talisa Soto
    Talisa Soto
    • Sugar
    Nelson Vasquez
    Nelson Vasquez
    • Tito Goya
    Michael Wright
    Michael Wright
    • Edgar Bowser
    Michael Irby
    Michael Irby
    • Reinaldo Povod
    Rita Moreno
    Rita Moreno
    • Miguel's Mother
    Jaime Sánchez
    Jaime Sánchez
    • Miguel's Father
    • (as Jamier Sanchez)
    Rome Neal
    • Jake
    Mandy Patinkin
    Mandy Patinkin
    • Joseph Papp
    Oscar A. Colon
    • Bodega Man
    • (as Oscar Colon)
    Miriam Cruz
    • Bodega Woman
    Luis Caballero
    • Shooting Gallery Man
    Sophia Domoulin
    • Shooting Gallery Woman
    Robert Klein
    Robert Klein
    • Doctor
    Gilbert Callazo
    • Miguel, as teen
    Samuel Bruce Campbell
    Samuel Bruce Campbell
    • Short Eyes Cop
    Lorraine Velez
    • Tutu
    • (as Loraine Velez)
    • Director
      • Leon Ichaso
    • Writer
      • Leon Ichaso
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Benjamin Bratt met future wife Talisa Soto while working together in this film. The two then married in April of 2002.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Miguel Piñero: Hey, what's happenin', what's happenin'?

      [chuckling]

      Miguel Piñero: We'll just start from the top.

      Miguel Piñero: Well, I guess I started stealing when I was eight. Stealing bread for my baby sister and brother. And other times you walk into the supermarket and just eat the food right out of the aisles, and not even pay. We'd walk right outside, you know? Now when you think about Latin writers, you probably think about Senior Márquez, Neruda, Cortazar - the magic realism. Not here, not this. There are no floating butterflys around my head when I walk down Avenue B., you know.

      [looking into the camera]

      Miguel Piñero: This is street reality. This is where we shout it out. Shout it out.

      [winks]

      Title Card: In 1974, a Puerto Rican ex-con named Miguel Pinero took the city of New York by storm with a controversial play about life in prison. Short Eyes won the Obie and New York Drama Critics Award and later became a movie.

      Title Card: Pinero was one of the founders of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Over the years he went on to write poetry and more plays, wrote for and acted in movies and television. Kojak, Fort Apache - The Bronx, Baretta, Miami Vice, and more...

    • Connections
      Referenced in The Holiday (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Agueybana Zemi
      Written by Jerry Gonzalez and Frankie Rodriguez

      Published by Sidezone Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

      Performed by Jerry Gonzalez and Frankie Rodriguez

      Courtesy of Sunnyside Records

    User reviews26

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    See it with an open mind
    The critics generally were not kind to this film, but I submit that in most cases their middle class roots are showing. Anyone with a serious interest in urban America in the '70s should see it. The visual style is jagged and hyper but that fits the subject matter aptly. The effect on the viewer is you either pay attention or get lost. Also, this is clearly not a movie that's interested in creating a cardboard hero, but do we need another one of those? The filmmakers are keen on showing Puerto Rican influence on NY culture, an influence so deep that it's often ignored.

    Benjamin Bratt did receive some kudos for his acting, but he deserved nominations. In the short documentary on the DVD, he mentions that in his teens he saw the film of "Short Eyes" and was frightened by the subject matter. He also mentions fear when offered the Pinero role, because he would be playing a real person. This must be one of the notable cases where an actor overcame some fear to turn in an astonishing portrait.

    I hope I've suggested a few of the reasons to see this film. Among other things, it casts doubt on the mainstream as we've come to know it. Pinero would have liked that about it....
    helpful•20
    2
    • John-442
    • Sep 27, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 12, 2002 (Brazil)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Пинеро
    • Production companies
      • Burnside Entertainment
      • GreeneStreet Films
      • Lower East Side Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $275,171
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $21,750
      • Dec 16, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $275,171
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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