Talento de Barrio

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Movie Details

• Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama
• Release Date: 2008-10-10 NY/LA
• Running Time: 107 min.
• Director: José Iván Santiago
• Cast: Daddy Yankee, Maestro, Katiria Soto, César Farrait, Angélica Alcaide, Norma Colón, Norman Santiago, Welmo E. Romero-Joseph, Rey Pirín, Pepe Fuentes
• Producer: George Rivera
• Writer: George Rivera, Ángel M. Sanjurjo
• Distributor: Maya Entertainment
• Official Site: Talento de Barrio Official Site

When conservative watchdogs snarl about the ugliness of gangsta rap, Talento de Barrio might be what they picture in their head�a vile, stupid, violent-crime drama that would be laughable if its content wasn�t so toxic. Drug boss Edgar Dinero (reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, who mostly glowers) prowls the gritty streets of Puerto Rico and dreams of becoming a rapper. Directed limply by Jos� Iv�n Santiago, Talento de Barrio lustfully idolizes its shallow, gun-toting bad boy, as can be witnessed by the disinterested lip service given to crime�s downside and a particularly risible moment when Edgar carts out the old �the whole world�s corrupt� justification during a brief monologue. Reggaeton�s success was due to its Latin-influenced reinvention of commercial hip-hop�s sonic palette, but Yankee�s vanity project resorts to every rap-music-video clich� to tell the umpteenth story of a young tough who has to choose between burgeoning stardom and the �reality� of the �hood. Talento de Barrio sells Yankee�s fans a fantasy of hot babes, cool cars, and an endless supply of fresh threads�just so long as you don�t get killed first, of course. Which would be a total drag, because then who�s gonna buy his records?