Luis Miguel: La serie

I found the series to be most enlightening and entertaining. Very pleased to see that it wasn't in the caliber of a cheesy novela. Story explained much regarding his mysterious and private life. Enjoyed the acting.

Although some artistic liberties were clearly taken, I think this is good for the fans. Diego did a good job and I hope any differences with El Sol are resolved so we can have a second season.

The series as a whole is better than I expected. Oscar Jaenada gives an incredible performance and might make you physically react to his character's feculant behavior. Other performances are good to excellent, and other than a few lulls the story is kept fairly interesting. My only criticism is that I feel Boneta was miscast as the lead. He doesn't look much like Luismi and though he sings ok... I wasn't impressed. He didn't do an awful job but his energy just felt all wrong. He went through nearly the entire series moping, and even when he was happy he looked melancholy. Luismi's always seemed more aggressive and much more radiant than Boneta's flaccid portrayal.

I have grown up listening to Luis Miguel's music and enjoying his television appearances on shows like Siempre en Domingo, which showcased all kinds of musical talent from Latin America and Europe. I never knew anything about his personal life and this television biopic is well produced and performed. Luis Miguel, the singer, felt like an enigma, reclusive and unreachable. Perhaps it's why the media has always remained rabid to publish stories, true or fabricated, about him.

It took me a while to recognize the real life people because the sound made it hard to catch what was being said. Some characters were based on real people and some were fictitious. It opened up situations that I never knew about, mainly, an unsurprisingly, the sacrifices Luismi had to make in order to become famous.

The performances range from mediocre in some of the younger, minor characters, to stellar among the seasoned actors. Diego Boneta nails his performance in the title role in both looks and charisma. He delivers in Luismi's essence and mannerisms. (Diego uses mostly Luismi's voice tracks when singing, so I can't say much about that.) Even the younger Luismi characters shined in their roles, particularly Luismi at age 12, played by Izan Llunas. His performance as the vulnerable child who just wants to make his parents happy is on point. (The young actor is actually the grandson of famous Spanish pop star, Dyango, and a musician in his own right). Oscar Jaenda blew me away as Luisito Rey, the overbearing and abusive father, but I would have preferred him to be a little more human and expressed a little more vulnerability in order to feel like a multi-dimensional character. The lovely Anna Favella does justice in her portrayal of Luis Miguel's long suffering mother.

I don't recommend this for viewers under 17. There is nudity, drug abuse, a lot of vile swearing, and some over-the-top sex scenes.

Really good story, very good actors, director, music, camara... everything!