DVD Review: Pedro

The life of Pedro Zamora, the HIV-positive star of the third season of The Real World, is celebrated in this MTV production. As expected with basic-cable TV movies, the film is entertaining and inspirational, but also squeaky clean and constructed along conventional lines. Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (who won an Oscar for his Milk screenplay) devotes the first third of the picture to Pedro’s Real World experiences and then backtracks to showcase Pedro’s early life.

Shelf Talk: The film’s supplements, including a tribute by President Clinton, might attract curious viewers. However, the biggest lure is the inclusion of three episodes from the Real World, which already qualifies as fondly remembered nostalgia for twenty- and thirtysomething viewers.