***** (Five stars)
This tender tribute to salsa singer Celia Cruz stitches together live concert footage and candid interviews with Cruz, her friends, her family and fans from around the globe (she's pretty big in Japan—who knew?). Besides the biographical elements, the film also serves as a chronicle of some of the most important trends in Latin music in the last century. Cruz started in Cuba with guarachera roots, performing with the Sonora Matancera in the '50s, then went on to record influential collaborations with Tito Puente and the Fania All-Stars in New York in the '70s. More recently, she appeared Wyclef Jean’s 1997 “Guantanamera” remake. Cataloging all these phases of Cruz's career, the film presents a sweet homage befitting a queen.—Monika Fabian, assistant to the president
[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.]