El Cantante

FLICKS “El Cantante De Los Cantantes” is the nickname that refers to the famed salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, who moved to New York from Puerto Rico in the early 1960s against the wishes of his father and set the world of Latin music on fire only to crash and burn out too soon. So why does it seem that this biopic gives us more of his wife Puchi than it does of Héctor?
Vocalist Marc Anthony totally embodies Lavoe with his charismatic stage presence, performing the songs with romantic energy and style. And though the music is terrific, a better script would make the movie feel less like a promotional tool for a tribute album. (And it really makes you want to own that entire album!)
The story is told by Lavoe’s wife Puchi, played by Anthony’s wife Jennifer Lopez, who doesn’t seem to be the most reliable narrator, though they do convincingly portray a couple devoted to each other. But we scarcely get a sense of what their family life must have been like and never feel close to them.
As directed and co-written by Leon Ichaso, and produced by Lopez, they are more interested in presenting Héctor spiraling downward as he takes more drugs and contracts AIDS, instead of showing his star rise and how he achieved his popularity. There is little in the way of learning how any of the revolutionary music evolved, which should be the film’s essence.
Though they tend to focus on the negatives, the positive moments are most memorable. In the end, it’s the music itself that shines and deserves the respect the filmmakers have affectionately presented. Perhaps the title should have been changed to La Música. My Score: 6.5 out of 10.