Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony in "El Cantante."
(Credit: Eric Liebowitz/Picturehouse)
- Running time:
- 116 minutes
- Rated:
- R
- Cast:
- Marc Anthony -
- Héctor Lavoe
- Jennifer Lopez -
- Puchi
- John Ortiz -
- Willie Colón
- Manny Perez -
- Eddie
- Vincent Laresca -
- Ralph
(2 ratings)
Big question: What does "El Cantante" have that every other music-driven biopic doesn't?
Skip it: By focusing so much attention on Puchi, "El Cantante" simply tells the wrong story, though it's debatable if one's being told at all. There's nothing about how Lavoe became a supposed voice of the people, what the Latin music scene was like in America before he arrived or why he drove himself to shows even at the height of fame—just a lot of interchangeable salsa songs and Lopez delivering a performance even Fran Drescher would call annoying.
Catch it: It's not often you get to see Santa Claus—especially a popular Latin singer dressed as Santa—smoking a joint. Something tells us those holiday cookies are going to taste better than usual this year.
Bottom line: Lavoe may have been a legend who united his audience, but "El Cantante" presents him only as one of a gazillion musicians who fell prey to the lifestyle for reasons the filmmaker can't identify. Co-writer/director Leon Ichaso loads up on the bongos and trumpets, but while he's got the music for "El Cantante," he apparently forgot to write the lyrics.
Bonus: Need a defense for your tardiness? Puchi provides Héctor with a not-quite-foolproof excuse: "It's not that you were late. It's just he was always too early."
SHOWTIME LISTINGS
Movie theaters and showtimes for El Cantante in Los Angeles.
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