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El Cantante (2006)
Director: Leon Ichaso
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Really, what tropes are there left to mine in the musician biopic? The most talented performers have the biggest pathologies, so by movie’s end, they’re all either dead (La Vie en Rose) or redeemed (Ray, Walk the Line). But what might happen when two real-life recording artists—who are also married—sign on to do a docudrama about Héctor Lavoe, the salsa legend who died of AIDS in 1993? If one of them is Jennifer Lopez (who also produced), a whole lotta mess.
Simply put, Jenny does not like to cede the spotlight. The life of Lavoe (Anthony) is structured around his wife, Puchi (Lopez), remembering the good and bad times nine years after his death. In reality, Puchi had very little to do with Lavoe’s career. Anthony, for his part, admirably plays the salsa king as a dandyish crooner—sort of like a Thin Brown Duke. Yet he simply can’t steal enough oxygen from Lopez (who does at least wear really great head scarves), even though all the melodramatic moments (OD’s, nervous collapses, suicide attempts) belong to him. But only Anthony sings, and in these moments, the movie is magical. Who knows what Lopez will do when the two of them tour together this fall?
Author: Melissa Anderson
Time Out New York Issue 618: August 2-8, 2007
User reviews of this film
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- Tracy said...
- Posted on Jan 16 2008 11:09 I rented this video from my local video store. I wasn't sure about it because; being an African-American female I'm not heavily into salsa music. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the music. Mr. Lavoe life was very tragic and I'm glad Marc Anthony was able to tell his story. I'm glad I kept an open mind when I rented this movie. We have to get to know other cultures and music...and stop passing judgement on each other. Another thing, I think this is the best acting I've seen from Jennifer Lopez.
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- nicole alvarez said...
- Posted on Aug 27 2007 20:39 the guy that did the cinematography is my grand father i love him with all my heart.....
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- mimi said...
- Posted on Aug 06 2007 10:15 I give it 5 stars!!!
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- mimi said...
- Posted on Aug 06 2007 10:13 honestly, I went to see the movie and in my opinion it was a great movie, not only was the acting great but the music made you want to dance. I grew up around hector lavoe and the story was well told. I'd go see it again and recommend it.....
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Cast & crew
Director: Leon Ichaso
Cast: Mark Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Romi Dias full cast
Rated: R
Duration: 118 mins
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