El Cantante
El Cantante
| 12 September 2006 (USA)
El Cantante Trailers

The rise and fall of salsa singer, Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993), as told from the perspective of his wife Puchi, who looks back from 2002.

Reviews
Tetrady not as good as all the hype
Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant
Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
SnoopyStyle This is a biopic of salsa singer Héctor Lavoe (Marc Anthony) who lived from 1946 to 1993. His wife Puchi (Jennifer Lopez) recalls their lives together in 2002. Héctor arrives in NYC from Ponce, Puerto Rico in the early 60s. He quickly gets some success. He meets Puchi who comes from a family of drug dealers. He slowly falls into the world of drugs as his live falls apart.Marc Anthony's performance comes alive whenever he's singing. He's only competent as an actor but at times, he's overwhelmed by the bigger personality of JLo. There isn't anything original in this biopic story. What's truly lacking is a good cinematic style. This is shot with a style more fitting to a good TV movie. It has way too many montages and the style lacks intensity. The music is great but this can't be just a concert movie.
Mark Robinow For me I find this the best film that I have seen Jenifer Lopez perform in. Brilliant acting and very unusual role for Lopez. Great Story, great music, great film!!! Also her Husband Marc Anthony plays his role a lot better than one would imagine from a singer who does not also act in films normally. Particullarly if you are a fan of salsa, and or South American Music in general, it is a film that is great and based on 100% true facts regarding the wave that hit the united states with S.A. Music. Even small parts were casted in a perfect way that really let you dive into the lifestyle of New York city and its Hispanic music scene of the 80s and 90s. This movie proves once again that certain actors have to produce a lot of films until one really gets the best role out of them. It is a pity that its box-office performance did not pay its duty for the performance of Lopez in particular. In my opinion definitely a must see.
lastliberal Salsa. The term was coined in the 1970s by young musicians like Hector Lavoe, Larry Harlow, Ray Baretto, Willie Colon, who wanted a different name for the kind of music they were playing. The term "salsa" was then popularized by Izzy Sanabria, owner of the Latin New York magazine, and Jerry Massuci, owner of Fania Records. There is a huge debate over whether "salsa" originated in Cuba or Puerto Rico. I love Afro-Cuban music, so I tend to favor Cuba, but it really doesn't matter as there are so many styles - Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, LA, New York, Columbian, Mambo.This film is a tribute to salsa and to Hector Lavoe - The Voice. Marc Anthony does a good job of impersonating Lavoe and giving us a look into his demons - alcohol, drugs, jealous fantasy. Jennifer Lopez plays his wife, Puchi, and we see the trials and tribulations of a marriage that was shaky at best.Enjoy the music and enjoy JLo. What more do you want?
Squaredealer33 Do you like music? Do you like the sound of the conga and the timbale? Go see this film. I don't know if it accurately portrayed Hector and his wife as they were, but I do know the music rocked! Can it be true that this music is rooted in the Puerto Rican experience in America? An amalgamation of styles – the sounds of America? Is America the sounding board for the music that makes the world dance? I was dancing in the isles while the movie was playing – the sound was fantastic (props to the sound engineers) and Marc Anthony rocked the house. Yes, the story was everything you'd expect from a life in the fast lane, but the music rose above it, as it should, and framed the story with it's sublime poetry. I left dancing, happy to have seen this musical slice of life in New York, U.S.A. Keep on dancing! There is also fun in the U.S. of A!