El Cantante
| El Cantante | |
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| Directed by | Leon Ichaso |
| Produced by | Julio Caro Simon Fields Jennifer Lopez David Maldonado |
| Written by |
Leon Ichaso David Darmstaeder Todd Anthony Bello |
| Starring | Jennifer Lopez Marc Anthony |
| Music by | Marc Anthony Jennifer Lopez |
| Distributed by | Picturehouse |
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Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
| Language | English / Spanish |
| Box office | $24,521,532 (including DVD sales) |
El Cantante is a 2006 biographical film which stars singers Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. The film is based on the life of the late salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, who is portrayed by Anthony. The film is told from the viewpoint of Puchi, Hector's wife, portrayed by Lopez. Initially debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2006, El Cantante was released on August 3, 2007.
Distributed by Picturehouse, the film runs for 106 minutes and is rated R for language, sexuality and drug use.
Puchi (Jennifer Lopez) talks about her late husband, salsa legend Héctor Lavoe "El Cantante De Los Cantantes" ("The singer of all the singers") (Marc Anthony), during a 2002 interview. Hector Perez leaves Puerto Rico, even though his father persuades him not to go because if he does he'll lose a father. Hector decides to go anyway against his father's will in an attempt to pursue his dreams. On his first night in the city he meets Eddie (Manny Perez) and discovers the new sound of salsa flowing through the streets. He eventually becomes the lead singer in a salsa group performing in a bar. One night he is approached by salsa musician, Willie Colon(John Ortiz) and Johnny Pacheco. Johnny offers them a deal with Fania Records Company and Hector accepts. The company also suggests that he change his name to Hector Lavoe. "Lavoe" meaning "the voice" in French. Hector falls in love with Puchi, a girl who danced at the club where he performed. He confesses to her that his mother died when he was young, his brother was killed the night he came to New York and that he didn't have many people in his life. She tells him that they'll take care of each other. It is revealed that Hector was cheating on Puchi with another girl named Carmen. Puchi reveals that Carmen and she were pregnant with a baby of his at the same time. But she is the only woman of his life because he chose her. They eventually get married and have a son named Tito. On a night of hard partying, Hector catches Eddie doing drugs and does so too. This will be the start of his drug addiction. Through the years, after Hector's consistent tardiness to gigs, Willie grows tired of Hector's irresponsibility and decides to go solo. Hector's drug and alcohol addiction continues to grow stronger and becomes very noticeable. Puchi is infuriated when she finds Tito eating alone and Hector shooting up while the gas was on. She begs Hector to quit the drugs and to turn his life around for their son and because he is always high and is missing out and she loves him. One night, Puchi wakes up to Hector sitting with a gun staring into space, suicidally depressed. In fear she sends him to rehab. Puchi can't help feeling extremely guilty when Hector's sister Priscilla blames all of Hector's problems on her. She later takes him out and he is put on medication. A jealous Hector calls Puchi a whore and frequently accuses her of having affairs with many different men. Hector maintains sobriety and takes his family to Puerto Rico for vacation. When Hector tries to reconcile with his father after leaving against his will, he rejects Hector. This causes him more pain. He is diagnosed with HIV and advises Puchi to get tested as well. He maintains sobriety for a while but soon has a relapse and goes back to his old ways. Puchi and Hector fight often and it usually ends with him leaving the house and then coming back and apologizing to her. Tito is killed when his friend accidentally shoots him while playing with the gun Hector kept in the house. This scars Hector for the rest of his life. In the interview, Puchi admits that Hector was never the same after that, and he died along with their son. She says everyone expected too much from him. Hector confesses to Willie that he loves Puchi and that he wishes he would've done things differently, but it's too late and nothing is the same anymore. Willie encourages him to perform at a gig in Puerto Rico. At the concert, there is less than half of the audience due to bad managing and advertising. Still, he decides to perform for the few people who still showed up while it starts raining. He just couldn't hold in all the pain anymore. The depression and guilt are too much for Hector to handle and it drives him to attempt suicide by jumping out a window. He survives the fall and lives another 5 years. Puchi is seen in her new apartment, listening to a voice mail from Hector, wishing her a happy birthday and that he'll always be there and love her. She smiles and begins to dance while looking at a picture of her and Hector on the wall. The movie ends with Hector performing and the credits revealing that he died at the age of 46 of ((AIDS)) , from sharing needles. It is also, revealed that Puchi died shortly after this interview in 2002.
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