Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

nmvega-191-989093 Some IMDB movie ratings are just wrong. That applies here. Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez deserved awards, they were that good. This movie is super intense and they, along with all of the actors, nailed it. 50+ years after the genre burst onto the New York City and global scene, Salsa shows no sign of slowing down. So if you want to see how Salsa all started -- the record label, the artists, the culture, the times and of course the music -- you need to watch this movie. It's really well done.

Rogue-32 I had been looking forward to seeing this film, despite the wretched reviews. After viewing it last night, however, I can understand why so many people (professional critics especially) were disgusted with El Cantante.Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are both capable actors who could have portrayed Puchi and Hector LaVoe as genuine human beings - complex, driven and conflicted - but instead all they're given to work with is mind-bogglingly superficial claptrap, posing as a script, which shows them as nothing more than clichés: she marries the up-and-coming singer who turns out to be a clueless drug addict and he drags her down with him or at least he does his very best to try, blah blah blah. There's not a shred of insight into their characters anywhere to be found. The onstage scenes were good (and I liked the creative way the English translation of the lyrics were displayed on screen), but this is not supposed to be a music video, it's supposed to be a full-length movie. I was not familiar with Hector and Puchi going in, but I know enough to believe they deserved better.

highwaythunder I understand many of the folks comments. We must all keep in mind that the movie was based on the interview conducted with Puchi his wife. She was bitter and and upset at him for the drug use, the deceit and the sickness that they both shared. She should had kept in mind that she in some aspect did introduce him to the drug scene. The movie did shine a certain negative spotlight on Hector. The people that never heard of him or knew about him will portray him as being a loser. This movie does nothing for those that never knew about him or heard of him. However the true fans and the ones that do respect and love his music it was a joyous reminiscence. I grew up loving his music and displayed his albums with pride. He was my stepping stone for the love that I have for the Salsa music today. He was the pioneer and one of the major factors in putting Salsa on the map. i would've preferred to sit down and watch a more positive movie on his life. However It takes nothing away on the joy and excitement that i felt to hear his music on the big screen. May he rest in peace and his memories will remain bright through his fans and admirers such as myself.

ken-1117 I was just blown over by Jennifer Lopez in the movie. She made the movie perfect for me. No false note! Time we get over her media image and recognise her as a great actress. She was stunning and convincing playing the different age groups, I could not take my eyes off her. She played it as she saw the role without prejudice. There is much depth and pathos in her performance. She conveyed so much in just a look. She made me feel all her emotions in the way she talked, she used a thicker accent in this movie that I thought was so real. The plot was kinda thin, but I think the director did not want to embelish too much, it is meant to be a biographical movie afterall. I wish they had made the movie loosely based on the real facts and not so conscientious of factual occurrences. A lot of people felt fit to judge the movie on a political point of view, which I deem debatable. This showed Jennifer Lopez dedication to the story,she could easily have made this into a showcase just for her, instead she stepped back. By doing so she actually allow us to cherish every time she was on the screen. BRAVA.