El Cantante (2006)

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Now that I have seen the movie I would really like to learn something about Hector Lavoe's life. The funny thing is that I thought the movie would provide that kind of information. But I only learned this: He used a lot of drugs, he was a good singer, he didn't feel appreciated by his dad and his wife had to struggle a lot with him. What I did not learn: Who were the other people in the movie? Besides his wife and his son nobody is properly introduced. Maybe people who know a lot about him recognize the other characters. I know only two of his songs and his name. For me big parts of this movie were a mystery.Some bearded guys were discussing how talented he is, then later on the bearded guys were discussing how broken down he is. I guess that one of them was his producer, one or two might have been songwriters or musicians. I don't know. There is a scene where Ruben Blades goes on stage and performs the song "El Cantante". A song that should become a very big hit for Lavoe. But hadn't I had seen a documentary on Latin music a few day earlier again I wouldn't have known who the question that was. The guy goes on stage like it is amateur night and he is lucky that Hector is there to listen to the song. My sister was watching the movie with me, and I had to tell her "hey that guy was huge too." OK, I get it. This movie is showing Hector's life from the perspective of his wife. But she either didn't care much about his origins, his musical connections, the people he worked with, his influence on music or the musics influence on him, or she didn't know. If you don't know much about Hector Lavoe and you hope to learn about his life this is not the movie for you. On the other hand: Marc Anthony does a great job in this movie. I wouldn't have expected that. But after a few minutes i forgot it was him and had to remind myself it was not actually Lavoe. Well done. J-Lo is very annoying. But maybe this woman was too. If so, well done too.

Sorry but this could have been a good film, the acting was very good, but who wrote the awful script? There was just far too much bad language and I turned the DVD off half way through. I am no prude but does anyone really use the F word THAT much? If so they need help! I was really looking forward to this film because of the good reviews and the fact it was about Salsa ( having Jennifer Lopez to look at doesn't hurt either ) but it really was spoiled. I know that I am probably alone in this but for me constant bad language just grates and it spoils my enjoyment of any film. Some swearing can be justified but it got worse as the film went on. Surely there were better ways to show the decline of a man into drugs than that? For me it is sloppy scriptwriting and even sloppier direction of what could have been a really good biopic.

I was just blown over by Jennifer Lopez in the movie. She made the movie perfect for me. No false note! Time we get over her media image and recognise her as a great actress. She was stunning and convincing playing the different age groups, I could not take my eyes off her. She played it as she saw the role without prejudice. There is much depth and pathos in her performance. She conveyed so much in just a look. She made me feel all her emotions in the way she talked, she used a thicker accent in this movie that I thought was so real. The plot was kinda thin, but I think the director did not want to embelish too much, it is meant to be a biographical movie afterall. I wish they had made the movie loosely based on the real facts and not so conscientious of factual occurrences. A lot of people felt fit to judge the movie on a political point of view, which I deem debatable. This showed Jennifer Lopez dedication to the story,she could easily have made this into a showcase just for her, instead she stepped back. By doing so she actually allow us to cherish every time she was on the screen. BRAVA.

I hadn't expected much out of El Cantante seeing as how JLo was in it (not crazy about her acting skills) but I have to admit I liked it. I wasn't familiar with who Hector Lavoe was until my ex made me listen to the "Who Killed Hector Lavoe" soundtrack repeatedly. Prior to hearing the soundtrack I was familiar with a couple of his songs, didn't necessarily know they were his, and definitely unaware of who he was.In comparison to "Ray" or "Walk the Line" I think El Cantante could've been much better. I liked how JLo acted as the 2002 version of Puchi. I think the makeup made her more authentic. She did well, but really, how much of it was acting? We've seen her play roles where she doesn't have a need to go back to her Bronx roots and it almost seems like she can't relate to her character as much as she does with Puchi or Selena. I'm from the Bronx so the attitude and the cursing is typical based on where I grew up and the girls in my school. Hell, I'm not an actress but if someone asked me to play Puchi I think I'd do a decent job. All in all, I thought she did well.Marc Anthony did well. I haven't had a chance to see old Hector Lavoe videos and such but I thought he did a good job. Based on other comments, I think people who don't know who Marc Anthony is (pre JLo of course) jump to conclusions in thinking he's a nobody that's attached to JLo. Marc Anthony is a megastar to urban Latin Americans. I grew up listening to him and love his music, his style, everything. The fact that he took on this project with his wife just shows that he's willing to reach to other talents he'd like to pursue.I think the movie should've started answering basic questions about Hector--who was in before he moved to NY, why did he move, why did his father not approve of him, it shows how he entered the drug scene but unlike Ray/Walk the Line it doesn't show his progression into becoming a drug addict. He says in one scene he doesn't want to touch anything drug related anymore yet he's high nearly the entire film. I loved the music but doesn't answer how he became famous in the U.S., why salsa was such a hit at that time. I know he and Willie Colon were very good friends but I didn't get a sense that their characters were portrayed as such. I didn't think the cast was as cohesive as it could've been, with the exception of JLo and Marc. I went to a Hector Lavoe tribute concert back in November and I have to say that was a much better show than this movie. Not to say the movie's not worth it, but just could've been better. I think they highlighted his drug dependence too much without answering basic questions or showing who he was as a person. In the 2002 Puchi interview scene, she says that Hector was funny, but doesn't really show his humorous side as much. Every time it seemed that a meatier scene was about to develop (i.e., when they fought after their son's funeral), rather than let that carry on for a few more minutes the scene would switch to something else. So, overall, I like the music, love Hector's legacy even more, admire Puchi for her strength but left looking at my watch and wondering when it would be over. Hopefully they make another version that would satisfy the audience's curiosity.