I Like It Like That (film)
| I Like It Like That | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Darnell Martin |
| Produced by |
Ann Carli Victor De Jesus Wendy Finerman Lane Janger Stephen Lloyd Diana Phillips Tracy Leigh Vilar |
| Written by | Darnell Martin |
| Starring |
Lauren Velez Jon Seda Griffin Dunne Jesse Borrego Rita Moreno Lisa Vidal |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
I Like It Like That is a 1994 comedy-drama film about the trials and tribulations of a young Puerto Rican couple living in the poverty-stricken New York City neighborhood of the South Bronx. The film stars Lauren Velez, Jon Seda, Lisa Vidal, Griffin Dunne, Jesse Borrego and Rita Moreno, and was written and directed by Darnell Martin who, in her filmmaking debut, became the first African-American female filmmaker to take helm of a film produced by a major film studio.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Plot
Lisette Linares (Velez) is a young mother of three children, married to Chino (Seda), a bicycle messenger. Although he is always reliable as the breadwinner of the family, Chino is having an affair with the neighborhood tramp, Magdalena (Vidal). One summer evening, a blackout sweeps the neighborhood, and Chino finds himself in jail after being arrested for looting.
Faced now with the reality of keeping her family together with the main breadwinner in jail, Lisette, with the encouragement of her transgender sister Alexis (Borrego), decides to give her dream of becoming a print model a chance. As she happens to be in the right place at the right time, Lisette lands a job as the personal assistant to a major record label producer (Dunne), who is trying to sign a major Latin music group (played by the real life group the Barrio Boyz).
Cast
- Lauren Vélez - Lisette Linares
- Jon Seda - Chino Linares
- Tomas Melly - Li'l Chino Linares
- Desiree Casado - Minnie Linares
- Isaiah Garcia - Pee Wee Linares (as Isiah Garcia)
- Jesse Borrego - Alexis
- Lisa Vidal - Magdalena Soto
- Griffin Dunne - Stephen Price
- Rita Moreno - Rosaria Linares
- Vincent Laresca - Angel
- Elvis Nolasco - Tito (as E.O. Nolasco)
- Sammy Melendez - Victor
- Jose Soto - Chris
- Gloria Irizarry - Mrs. Gonzalez
- Emilio Del Pozo - Mr. Soto
- Jerry Rivera - Pablo Herrera
Themes
A prominent theme in the film is transmisogyny. Lisette’s sister Alexis (Borrego) is an important figure in constructing womanhood in the film, as Lisette reifies her womanhood through downplaying her sister's womanhood as somehow less authentic than hers. Other themes include anti-Black attitudes within the Latina/o community, a woman’s often conflicting yearning for both independence and heterosexual love, and the construction of masculinity through sexuality.
References
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: I Like It Like That". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-30.