The title “El Cantante” means “The Singer,” and is the biography of the life of Hector Lavoe, formerly Hector Perez, a teenager who goes from singing in his native Puerto Rico, to becoming an idol of many in New York in the 1970s. Marc Anthony gives an energized and multi-faceted performance as Lavoe. We see his pain and grief as well as his elation in achieving success. Anthony plays the part well, as he plays Lavoe as a character who refuses to talk about his disappointments and hurts, but instead turns to alcohol and drug use.
The sad news is that the film is filled with non-stop strong language and drug use and sexual innuendos. It’s as if the screenwriters had a hard time coming up with dialog other than the F word. This story is based on an interview with Lavoe’s wife, Puchi (Jennifer Lopez). We cannot award our Dove Family-Approved Seal to this film.
