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Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony. Musical/bio. Written by David Darmstaedter, Todd Anthony Bello, Leon Ichaso. Directed by Leon Ichaso.

FILM SYNOPSIS: The film celebrates the life and music of the legendary Puerto Rican salsa singer Hector Lavoe, a pioneer of the sound and sensibility that redefined Latin music in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning the 1960s to the 1980s, El Cantante charts Hector Lavoe’s rapid rise to success as an artist whose music combined Puerto Rican tradition with streetwise modernity and unabashed emotion with straightforward realism. It reveals the singer not only as an architect of Salsa but as its soul – the kind of artist, like Billie Holliday, Edith Piaf or La Lupe, who forges an uncanny emotional bond with his audience.

PREVIEW REVIEW. Hector Lavoe died of AIDS, contracted from drug use. His son was accidentally killed by a gun shot, and shortly after an extensive interview concerning her late husband’s life, Lavoe’s wife died tragically in a car accident. It’s almost as if some force was eliminating them from this world before their time. Excess ruled the Latin’s personal life (according to the film) then destroyed it. Earlier this year, the same messages concerning fame, excess and rebellion to God’s instruction was intertwined within the story of Edith Piaf (La Vie En Rose). Indeed, we have seen numerous lamentable bios concerning the rich and famous and unlucky.

One can’t watch such a film without realizing that life is full of challenges and bitter-sweetness. Even the gifted and blessed are unable to escape problems. And no matter how much they obtain, there’s just a little more outside their reach. Conclusion: Life is about more than gaining the whole world – or even the little cottage with the white picket fence. Life is a fleeting moment in time, an obstacle course filled with peaks and valleys. And each obstacle we face has to do with character development and faith.

Now, I’m not suggesting that message was the director’s intent. It’s just something I’m reminded of whenever I see characters on the silver screen dealing with adversity. No matter who you are, problems are unavoidable. They’re meant to be a part of the life experience and give evidence that there is more to our stay on this planet than obtaining self-glory.

Trying to exorcise his destructive inner demons, the film portrays Lavoe being treated by some sort of Hispanic shaman, a sort of witch doctor who combines Christianity along with voodoo-like practices. Wanting to defeat the monkey on his back, Lavoe is seeking a spiritual healing. But since I do not know enough about his actual religious beliefs, I can’t tell why he met defeat. I can say this: drug addiction is an insidious one that’s difficult to defeat even for those who seek spiritual healing through the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. But to seek cleansing with the aid of demonic sources, well, the Bible makes clear that those folks are defeated before they even start.

Despite its rough language and the tragic depiction, El Cantante is a powerful cautionary tale. Dynamically acted and well paced by a sincere director, it is a thoroughly engrossing production. One of the best films of the year.

I’m wondering, and I’m not being flippant, just how long before we see such stories concerning Paris Hilton, Britany Spears and Lindsay Lohan. To those given much, much is required.

DVD Alternative: If you do not wish to support a film with R-rated content, try this suggested video: Funny Girl. This 4-star musical production of the life of singer/comedienne Fanny Brice stars Barbra Streisand. Ms. Streisand won the Best Actress Oscar of 1968 (actually, a first that year – she shared the win with Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter.

Distributor: Picturehouse