Themes: Musician's Life, Culture Clash, Fish Out of Water
Main Cast: Omarion Grandberry, Zulay Henao, James McCaffrey, Kellita Smith, Melonie Diaz, Malik Yoba
Release Year: 2007
Country: US
Run Time: 88 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
A 21-year-old aspiring hip-hop star from the Bronx is forced to put his career on hold when a gang of local thugs threatens his life and he is forced to seek refuge with his estranged father in Puerto Rico in this musical drama from producer Jennifer Lopez. Rob (Omarion Grandberry) is a New York City rapper who has gotten into hot water in his hometown, and now must flee to Puerto Rico. Upon arriving at his father's home in the Caribbean commonwealth, Rob immediately forms a bond with his half-brother, Javi, who introduces his distant sibling to the seductive sounds of Reggaeton. Rob and Javi's outwardly divergent musical tastes ultimately blend to form a unique new brand of hip-hop-flavored reggae, and they soon begin to gain a loyal following that ultimately leads them both back to New York City. Yet despite Rob's growing popularity in the music industry, the gangsters back in the Bronx are still hell-bent on revenge, and willing to gun him down at the first chance they get. Is Rob's newfound status as a high-profile musical innovator enough to make him bulletproof, or could it be that he's more vulnerable than ever now that he's up on-stage for all the world to see? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Kim Taylor Coleman - Casting, Gladyris Silva - Costume Designer, Josh Newport - First Assistant Director, Alejandro Chomski - Director, Bill Pankow - Editor, Suzy Elmiger - Editor, Nico Sarudiansky - Editor, Andrew Lack - Executive Producer, Andres Levin - Composer (Music Score), Monica Monserrate - Production Designer, Zoran Popovic - Cinematographer, Simon Fields - Producer, Jennifer Lopez - Producer, Sofia Sondervan - Producer, Lisa Pinero - Sound/Sound Designer, Albert Leon - Screenwriter, Budd Carr - Executive Music Producer, Nora Felder - Executive Music Producer, Nydia Gonzalez - Set Decorator, Wyclef Jean - Featured Music, Omarion - Featured Music
After a run-in with local thugs, aspiring Harlem Afro-Puerto Rican rapper Rob (Omarion) flees to Puerto Rico and a Puerto Rican father (Giancarlo Esposito) he never knew, and finds his salvation in Reggaeton, a spicy blend of hip-hop, reggae and Latin beats. Puerto Rico, the spiritual home of Reggaeton, inspires Rob and his younger half-brother Javi (Victor Rasuk) to pursue their dream of becoming Reggaeton stars. Together with a dancer named C.C., they learn what it means to stay true to themselves and each other, while overcoming obstacles in love, greed and pride, all culminating in an explosive performance at New York's Puerto Rican Day Parade.
As of October 17, 2007 on Metacritic, the film had an average score of 36 out of 100, based on 9 reviews.[1]. It has a 13% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
At the box-office, since its release it has grossed more than $5,000,000.
