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El Cantante is el contentious. The musical biopic of superstar Hector Lavoe has already annoyed the salsa cognoscenti, various writers of Puerto Rican descent, a handful of people who personally knew Lavoe and several other folk with one axe or another to grind.
For everybody else, however, El Cantante is an electrifying musical journey, a glimpse into a fascinating (albeit tragic) life and a chewy bit of romance melodrama from Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.
El Cantante begins with black-and-white footage of an "interview" with Lavoe's wife, the infamous Puchi (Lopez) in 2002. This is to make it clear that Puchi's version of events will be the point of view of the film and the segment is based on several hours of real-life interviews with Puchi to which Lopez had access.
This is the story of how Puerto Rican troubador Hector Perez became the salsa legend Hector Lavoe, and the tale is anchored to the 20-year relationship between him and Puchi. (Hector sings; Puchi hectors. That's the relationship.)
The tale zips back and forth in time -- here is Lavoe in the '80s, too stoned to find his way to his own performance, here he is back in Puerto Rico in 1963, here he is as a young newcomer to New York, sneaking into a club in the Bronx.
According to the movie, Lavoe was an innocent who smoked his first joint with Puchi at a party, threw up, and vowed never to do such a thing again. That was the first step on the road to heroin addiction, apparently.
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The film shows Lavoe's friendships, musical development, recording and performing history and his tragic personal life. Death, bad luck, depression and addiction are all over this story; and then there's the salsa music, which is downright transporting.
Even though the narrative lurches around, the music carries the picture and keeps it watchable. Anthony is heartbreaking in the role of Lavoe and his performance moves up to gobsmacking level in the film's musical performance scenes.
One of the complaints about El Cantante is that the movie shows too much Puchi and not enough Lavoe, but Lopez is very good in the role of the strident woman-behind-the-successful-man. It's a bit of a risk to play this part, as Puchi was controlling and abrasive -- traits that were likely crucial to Lavoe's success. Puchi seems to have been both frightened and frightening, and Lopez gets that across.
El Cantante is more a guilty pleasure than a great movie, but at least it may spark a renewed interest in the music of Lavoe and his contemporaries. If so, consider the film a success.
(This film is rated 14-A)