An unsurprising but mostly agreeable first feature from Darnell Martin, I Like It Like That appealingly marks its depiction of a predominately Latino area of the Bronx with honesty and some wit. Its setting lends the film freshness, and Lauren Velez gives a likable, spirited performance as a woman with aspirations to be something other than a harried housewife and mother. A creditable first effort by any standard, the film is on track for most of its running time, but suffers slightly from a silly subplot involving the lead character's music-business employment (and the relationship with her sleazy boss played by Griffin Dunne), which is out of tune with the rest of the picture. Shockingly, this is the first studio-film in history ever to be directed by a Latino woman; happily, it managed to find an audience upon release, giving hope to other female filmmakers with similar ambitions.