Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

  • Rated Not Rated
  • 1hr 41m

Find Movie Theaters & Showtimes

for
near
in
COMING SOON

This movie will be released on

Apr 17, 2026

Browse Local Theaters

Videos & Photos

Movie Info & Cast

Release Date:

Apr 17, 2026

Runtime:

1hr 41m

Synopsis

Summer in The Bronx. He sells "nutcracker" cocktails, gets high, stays moving. Then she moves in. Two kids in a cramped apartment, playing house until the city reminds them how fast the streets make you grow up.

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.6
2.5K
1.5K
681
RATINGS 24 FANS
3.6
  • Jan 28, 2025

    This is the kind of confident, micro budget debut that gets me excited about film. Joel Alfonso Vargas allows us to observe the lives of his deeply drawn characters with stunning authenticity, often feeling like a documentary rather than a narrative feature. The excellent…

    132 Likes
    Brother Bro
    Brother Bro
    Jan 26, 2025

    This is just so good. The cinematography makes the whole movie feel hot and sticky. The performances are prickly like a Cassavetes movie. A world that feels wholly lived in and a movie with a VOICE. I'm tired of Sundance putting their best stuff in Next just because it has…

    90 Likes
    Marya E. Gates
    Marya E. Gates
    Feb 19, 2025

    slice of life dramedy with a lot of yelling, a lot of affections and a lot of heart. I can watch daily NYC struggle evrryday, I can also watch latinos getting overly emotional 24/7, so I'm very much the target audience here.

    69 Likes
    shookone
    shookone
  •
    Jan 29, 2025

    MAD BILLS TO PAY (Or Destiny, Dile Que No Soy Malo) makes the most of its tiny budget, featuring thoughtful cinematography and raw, convincingly natural performances. Love the use of static visuals and when the camera moved, it was accidental but impactful. Its portrayal of…

    57 Likes
    Matt Neglia
    Matt Neglia
    Feb 1, 2025

    A man with absolutely no redeeming qualities will really get a haircut and put on a button-down shirt and try to tell you he’s “changed.”

    59 Likes
    Lexi Amoriello
    Lexi Amoriello
    Jan 30, 2025

    From the first minute until its sobering end, writer/director Joel Alfonso Vargas knows exactly what his debut film should be. “Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)” is a handsomely shot and assuredly executed arrested development film whose startling…

    51 Likes
    Robert Daniels
    Robert Daniels
  •
    Feb 2, 2025

    NUTTIES NUTTIES! I’m gonna be screaming that for weeks.  I loved feeling like a fly on the wall during a timeframe in these people’s life. It was beautiful, hopeful, and tough while keeping it feeling real. I’m truly blown away. Especially given this is a debut film with a…

    34 Likes
    ThatBoyKyle777
    ThatBoyKyle777
    Jan 31, 2025

    i want to be so clear that this is great, but this is a masterclass in bad vibes

    34 Likes
    Fiona
    Fiona
    Feb 2, 2025

    This film needs to be picked up. Literally the reason why people fall in love with film.

    30 Likes
    filmdeliverer
    filmdeliverer
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

77
metacritic
Based on 4 Critics
tbd

USER SCORE (0)

There are no user reviews yet
70
Feb 5, 2025

This very Bronx tale of teenage pregnancy and inner-city strife can seem familiar in terms of content, but never in terms of form.

View full review
Metacritic review by Jordan Mintzer
Jordan Mintzer
The Hollywood Reporter
91
Feb 5, 2025

For a film about two young people who are ill-prepared for a massive life event, Mad Bills to Pay is brilliantly restrained about where everybody ends up.

View full review
Christian Zilko
IndieWire
70
Feb 5, 2025

The multiple scenes featuring family fights feel raw and authentic, sometimes painfully so, because they seem part-improvised: but at times they drag on too long, a sign of a larger problem with pacing and rhythm. What brings it all back from the edge are the performances.

View full review
Jonathan Holland
Screen Daily
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com