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El Cantante
Directed by
Leon Ichaso
R
2006
1h 54m
Drama
,
History
,
and more
5.5
24%
63%
Watch Free
The life story of Hector Lavoe, who started the salsa movement in 1975 and brought it to the United States.
More
Cast of El Cantante
Marc Anthony
Hector Lavoe
Jennifer Lopez
Puchi
John Ortiz
Willie Colon
Manny Perez
Eddie
Vincent Laresca
Ralph
Federico Castelluccio
Jerry Masucci
Nelson Vasquez
Johnny Pacheco
Antone Pagán
Papo
Romi Dias
Priscilla
Andrea Navedo
Zaida
Santiago Douglas
Ana Isabelle
Puchi's Friend
El Cantante Ratings & Reviews
Ebert & Roeper
Richard Roeper
I would have liked to have seen a more in-depth look at the salsa movement. Still, we do get a lot of great music, and Anthony is a natural onscreen in a tailor-made role.
Chicago Reader
J. R. Jones
Marc Anthony plays the smack-addicted singer, who has some dynamite numbers but not much to say for himself.
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
A downer of a musical biopic that leaves no clich unturned.
Screentalk
Brian Tallerico
You need to give your audience a reason to care, not just assume they will because your subject was important to the history of music.
Houston Chronicle
Joey Guerra
The film's first half is an uneven string of scenes that offer little setup and sometimes confuse.
Detroit Free Press
Terry Lawson
Lavoe was a gifted and original singer and song interpreter, but this film is unlikely to spread the word.
USA Today
Claudia Puig
The music is the uncontested highlight of El Cantante, which tells the story of the tragic life of salsa legend Hector Lavoe.
Denver Post
Lisa Kennedy
El Cantante never nails the ecstatic moment of musical collaboration we crave from this genre. Where is the scene that gives us a fly-on-the-wall view of salsa's creation?
Seattle Times
Ted Fry
El Cantante has nerve but can't follow through on the edginess of its intentions.
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
Throughout El Cantante, we're told repeatedly that everybody loves Hector, though why they should love him is a mystery. For fully two-thirds of the film, there isn't enough there either to like or dislike.
Dallas Morning News
Mario Tarradell
Nothing gets explored at length, and some key points are glossed over altogether, namely Hctor's out-of-wedlock son and his frequent womanizing. Such factual details would demoralize Puchi. They are merely mentioned, then ignored.
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The director (Leon Ichaso) and his co-writers haven't licked a crucial question: Why do we need to see this movie and not just listen to the music?
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
Where's the ambition? Where's the passion?
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
The awkwardly told story of salsa legend Hector Lavoe, El Cantante doesn't even get the title right: It should have been called La Esposa, since it's really less about the singer than his wife.
MovieFreak.com
Sara Michelle Fetters
I must admit, I still have trouble recommending the film even with Anthony's magnificence.
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
What is it about the biopic genre that gravitates toward the same sea of cliches, no matter what the sound or era?
New York Times
A.O. Scott
Whenever Marc Anthony takes the stage as Hector Lavoe in El Cantante, he unleashes his charisma and shows that, whatever his limitations as an actor, he is a brilliant performer.
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
El Cantante disintegrates into a stylized jumble -- even a straightforward jumble would have been preferable.
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Still, the musical numbers, which constitute a hefty portion of screen time, are thrilling.
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
Ironically, Lavoe's sad story serves mostly to remind viewers that Lopez is still the dazzling force of nature that burst onto the screen a scant 10 years ago.
Watch El Cantante Videos
El Cantante
El Cantante
Trailer
El Cantante (Trailer 1)
El Cantante (Trailer 1)
Trailer
El Cantante Exclusive: I Am The Singer
El Cantante Exclusive: I Am The Singer
Behind the Scenes
El Cantante Scene: Scene 1
El Cantante Scene: Scene 1
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El Cantante Scene: Scene 2
El Cantante Scene: Scene 2
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El Cantante Scene: Scene 3
El Cantante Scene: Scene 3
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El Cantante Scene: Scene 4
El Cantante Scene: Scene 4
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