Slideshow
EL CANTANTE
U.S., 2006
Directed by Leon Ichaso
Written by Ichaso, David Darmstaeder, Todd Anthony Bello
Starring Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez
Approx. 106 min. 35mm print courtesy Park Circus.
The true story of the late Héctor Lavoe, “the King of Salsa,” played by Marc Anthony, told from the viewpoint of Lavoe’s wife, played by Jennifer Lopez (Anthony’s real-life wife at the time). Anthony, who grew up in East Harlem, the son of Puerto Rican parents, said of Leon, “He understands the streets, the humanity of it and the poetry of it all. He captures the essence of our people, our neighborhoods. You can almost smell the rooms the characters are in.”
Reviews
“If you're a fan of Héctor Lavoe and Latin music, or Lopez and Anthony, you'll want to see EL CANTANTE.”
– Roger Ebert
“Ms. Lopez brings a lot of fight to her performance”
– A.O. Scott, The New York Times