While I had the pleasure of seeing this film mere blocks away from the Nuyorican Cafe, I was crawling to escape the theater!<br /><br />Benjamin Bratt certainly acts his heart out, and I applaud him for that, but it is hard to picture the supermodel-esque Bratt as the late poet/junkie/ex-con. This is a minor point, though. I was very disappointed with the music video style fast cuts and looping of time sequences. Often the camera never pauses long enough to leave an impact and let a character develop.<br /><br />Also, I must confess, it is hard for me to separate the movie from my lack of respect for the "struggle" this man endured. Comments like "all people see us as is doormen, etc." is repeated a few times. While this can be true, how is that different than any other major immigrant group in history (each starts on the bottom and crawls up)? I think the scene in San Juan where a Puerto Rican man stands up and questions his "so-called" struggle says it all. Pinero's (movie) response is very weak.<br /><br />I feel like parallels are being drawn to comparable figures in black-American history - it isn't apples-to-apples. Pinero was a troubled and gifted man, and was given opportunities that he squandered away. While the film mildly acknowledges that from time to time - the romantic "struggle" theme quickly swoops in and obliterates it!<br /><br />I agree that every people needs a voice and Pinero was a very fascinating and influential one, but he should have been shown raw and non-romanticized, unlike this drivel. See "Short Eyes" if you want Pinero straight! See "Before Night Falls" if you want an un-romanticized struggle for artistic and political freedom.