The name of Hector Lavoe may not mean much if you’re not a fan of Latin music, but he was an integral part of the salsa movement that began in the early 1970s. El Cantante (“The Singer”) is his story, from his emigration from Puerto Rico to New York in 1963 to his death in 1993. Salsa fans have not taken kindly to the film, the first release from Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions: They feel that it slights Lavoe’s artistic talents to dwell on the more lurid aspects of his life, particularly his drug addiction and troubled marriage. Sadly, it won’t do much for those looking to explore this style of music, either: The musical performances are undeniably exciting, but seldom presented intact in such a way that the viewer can really get into them. The singer Marc Antony, a.k.a. the producer’s husband, stars as Lavoe. I can’t say how well he channels Lavoe, though on their own merits his salsa numers are terrific. In the non-singing scenes, though, his acting talents, such as they may be, are not greatly taxed; he’s seldom asked to do much more than glare sulkily. The acting meat has been reserved for Lopez, who stars as Lavoe’s wife. Her version of her late husband’s story has been called into dispute by many who knew the scene: At the very least, it’s hard to see why the movie should focus on her other than to give J-Lo a vehicle. The director is Cuban-born filmmaker Leon Ichaso, who certainly knows the territory but, as in his previous biopic Pinero, fails to make it very accessible to those who aren’t already in the know.