Straight From the Barrio

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M R 04/24/2023 We need some certified Latino critics that are comfortable with their heritage rating this one. To be fair, many Hispanic critics hated it too along with Daddy Yankee's performance. When this movie came out in 2008, the entire Latino spectrum was different compared to today. Though Reggaeton was very popular then, it had yet to become ingrained in everyday latino behavior. Now Reggaeton is a universal language among Hispanics. "Talento De Barrio" as it is known in Spanish actually did very well in Latin American cinemas and I once read somewhere it made a profit making $10 million dollars on an approximate 1 million dollar budget. Daddy Yankee was the Bad Bunny of yesteryear achieving maximum popularity from 2004-2007. By 2008 Reggaeton had died out in the mainstream and did not achieve a comeback with that audience until the J Balvin era, but this did not hurt DY much as he was a crossover sensation. I saw the movie in Spanish and much of its sensibilities cannot be translated. Not only must you know the Spanish language fluently but also comprehend how people from the Barrio speak. I can say, growing up with Puerto Ricans and diverse Latino nationalities that this is a 100% accurate portrayal of how Boricuas in the barrio be like. Thankfully, much of the language in the film is of the Reggaeton culture therefore most latinos from the barrio worldwide will understand it. The legendary rapper/producer Maestro (RIP) does an excellent job here. This was perfect casting. There are other roles portrayed by well known rappers in Puerto Rico as well, such as, TNT, Eddie Dee, Gringo and the legendary Don Chezina portraying Edgar Dinero's aspiration artistically to get out of the drug game and make it as an MC. The story is prototypical of the "make it out of the street life" genre yet remains relatable. I felt some plot points were unnecessary and took away from the story but clearly the filmmakers' intent was to add realism. The movie is filmed in actual barrios inside of Puerto Rico which just adds to the overall authenticity. It is very entertaining. Is it Almodovar level good? No. But it's an overall good effort that doesn't get the spotlight it actually deserves. 80/100 B- See more 07/02/2020 The best Puertorrican movie of all time. Great Performance by Daddy Yankee and Maestro. Must to see movie See more 11/15/2019 Me gusta lan peliculas de reggaeton y esta protagonisada por daddy yankee es un peliculón😉 le doy 100 See more 06/30/2018 Entretenida, un film básico de un biopic ficticion de Daddy yankee no logra ser la gran historia de triunfo y emprendimiento que se espera con un biopic, pero si logra ser una sincera cinta de cruda realidad de un artista de estrato bajo. See more 11/13/2016 More than a movie is a biography of the neighborhoods of this island, which daily live the violence, I think that is very salvageable, is not well made since it had a budget of only 1 million dollars See more 04/12/2013 BEST MOVIE EVER why because it had my DADDY YANKEE in it of course :) :D X) See more Read all reviews

Straight From the Barrio

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