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PINERO Send This Review to a Friend
The good news for Benjamin Bratt is that his portrayal of Latino poet and playwright Miguel Pinero proves handily that he has a range of depth as an actor that goes far beyond his popular but limited role as Detective Curtis on television's "Law and Order." He has filled other challenging assignments, but nothing as complex and demanding as depicting the harrowing and turbulent life that Pinero led.
That's also the good news for viewers of the film. The not-so-good news is that writer-director Leon Ichaso has drenched the already powerful material in "Pinero" with stylistic pretentiousness. He seems to be going for a record in the number of bits and pieces of film he strings together. The result is jangling and fatiguing, especially when the elements in Pinero's life are powerful enough to stand unadorned. After all, the sum total includes prison, breakthrough as a playwright, poetry sessions, and of course, the drug scene and the descent into self-destruction. The reality is nerve-wracking enough.
It would seem that the director is trying to find a cinematic equivalent to the beat in the writer's street-wise work. But whatever the intent, the result is frenetic and counter-productive, making the film seem much longer than it is.
The best moments come from Bratt's capturing of what was involved in Pinero's life. There was genuine excitement in the theater community when his "Short Eyes" hit the scene. (It was later made into a movie.) Pinero became an icon of that period, 1970s and 1980s New York, and the destructive behavior that went with the man was terribly sad, although it also served to fuel the very talent he was vitiating.
The supporting cast is effective, including Rita Moreno as Pinero's mother, Talisa Soto as his girlfriend Sugar, Nelson Vasquez as his friend Tito and Mandy Patinkin in an interesting turn as Public Theater producer and founder Joseph Papp. A Miramax Films release.
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