El Cantante
Everybody loved him. One woman understood him. But one one could save him... from himself.
The dramatic biography of Puerto Rican salsa pioneer Hector Lavoe (Marc Anthony). The film follows Lavoe's passionate relationship with Puchi (Jennifer Lopez) and his skyrocket to international fame. But even when he has it all, Lavoe is unable to escape the allure of drugs and his personal pain.
Member Reviews
El Cantante - sweetkeet
Not a bad film, though J.Lo gets a little cloying at times, with her playing it over-the-top in some scenes. In others, she is perfect as the volatile, addicted wife of a similarly afflicted star of the music stage. This film is an interesting biopic for those who are fans of Salsa and other Latin American music, but know little about its origins or founding fathers.NOT BAD AT ALL - Ricardo
Although the movie may not have a great appeal for people who didn't know of Hector Lavoe or who speak even a bit of Spanish, that does not take away from the quality of the film.
It's a sad story, quick rise to fame, slow drop, and then the final questions "what if, what about, I wonder if..." etc. As a pair, of course Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have the necessary chemistry, but although Lopez's performance was good, I never thought I would be complimenting Marc Anthony on his performance. However, I am, I think he did a really good job.
I definitely recommend this one, worth watchingMarc Anthony can sing and act! - AvidOscarBee
Directed by Leon Ichaso, this explosive biography is about the Puerto Rican salsa singer, Hector Lavoe (Marc Anthony) and the volatile relationship with his wife Nilda "Puchi" Roman Perez (Jennifer Lopez) and his rise to international fame and eventual demise.
The film follows Lavoe's two dreams: 1) to make his father proud and 2) to become the greatest singer that Latin America has ever seen.
El Cantante means "I am the singer" and at a very poignant part of the film, you learn the reason for the film's title. Lavoe and Puchi meet at separate times, but really hit it off at a friend's birthday party. Puchi is passionate, controlling and a jealous diva, but has her own demons too. Together, they are spontaneous combusion! They love hard, hate hard, fight hard and live hard. They have a son and through outside forces and show business pressure, Lavoe and Puchi succumb to a world that will have them both spiral out of control. Lavoe's singing partner, Willie Colon, is influential. Everything comes to a head when the one thing they love most is taken from them in an instant of foolish play.
Marc can sing and act! However, looking at him physically from head to toe always makes me want to vomit - sorry. On the other hand, Jennifer is an enigma that I can't understand. There are certain scenes where it's her classic, "let me show off my butt that I and the world seem to love so much", and other times that she really pulls out the stops and shows that she does have acting ability if only she could lose her ego.
Together, I can't say they have chemistry but they do have something. It's not the physical chemistry you see with Brad & Angelina, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward or Elizabeth & Richard. I must mention an explosive fight scene between them that is definitely worth seeing. I give this 3 stars due to Marc's singing and acting, otherwise disappointing.
A splendid job with subtitles for all songs and dialogue spoken.
Member Reviews
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El Cantante - sweetkeet
Not a bad film, though J.Lo gets a little cloying at times, with her playing it over-the-top in some scenes. In others, she is perfect as the volatile, addicted wife of a similarly afflicted star of the music stage. This film is an interesting biopic for those ...NOT BAD AT ALL - Ricardo
Although the movie may not have a great appeal for people who didn't know of Hector Lavoe or who speak even a bit of Spanish, that does not take away from the quality of the film.
It's a sad story, quick rise to fame, slow drop, and then the final questions ...Marc Anthony can sing and act! - AvidOscarBee
Directed by Leon Ichaso, this explosive biography is about the Puerto Rican salsa singer, Hector Lavoe (Marc Anthony) and the volatile relationship with his wife Nilda "Puchi" Roman Perez (Jennifer Lopez) and his rise to international fame and eventual demise.
The ...