El Cantante (1:56) 2006

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are the stars of El Cantante, based on the life of Hector Lavoe. Lavoe was a famous salsa singer in New York City. Lavoe, originally from Puerto Rico, always had the dream of becoming a famous singer which he did realize. Unfortunately, his rise to fame was accompanied with a twenty year struggle with alcohol and drug abuse. His drug addiction led to his being diagnosed with HIV. The film deals with Hector's up and down marriage to Puchi (Lopez), the death of his teenage son, and his battles with mental health issues. El Cantante received poor reviews when initially released but it is a pleasure to say that it was fairly interesting. The Salsa music and songs were lively and frequent. On the flip side, the scenes of drug use (snorting and shooting up) turned me off but were a necessary part of the movie.