‘Feel the Noise’ sounds a ho-hum hip-hop beat

Breakdancing, cheerleading, marching bands and other youthful pursuits have all become fodder for teen movies, so why shouldn’t reggaetón, a burgeoning Latino offshoot of hip-hop, get its due?

The music and the culture it came from are ripe for dramatization. Born in Puerto Rico but popularized in the United States, reggaetón falls somewhere between salsa and rap, with an ear-grabbing beat and lyrics that reflect Latino street life.

As the film takes pains to note, it’s not merely Spanish-language hip-hop but an authentic, home-grown sound with its own jargon, its own nuances. It’s also becoming a complement, if not a rival, to rap music in mainland cities with large Latino populations, such as New York and Los Angeles.

But “Feel the Noise” is no docudrama. Co-produced by Jennifer Lopez for Sony BMG’s film arm, it bears the stamp of the marketing department. Instead of trying to find the heartbeat of reggaetón, the movie resorts to teen conventions, banking that its target audience -- Latino teens, who don’t often see themselves onscreen -- won’t know enough to demand better.

Omarion Grandberry, former lead singer for the R&B; band B2K, plays -- guess what? -- an aspiring rapper named Rob. After running afoul of the law, Rob leaves Harlem to live in Puerto Rico with his estranged father, who has a stepson named Javi (Victor Rasuk). After discovering their mutual love for music (and marijuana), the two boys cut demos together and look for a deal.

Care to guess the other characters? There’s a young hottie who dreams of being a dancer (Zulay Henao, recently seen in another Hisploitation flick, “Illegal Tender”), her violent ex-boyfriend and, of course, an oily record executive. Bonus points if you already predicted that Rob’s father (Giancarlo Esposito) used to be a musician too.

The director, Alejandro Chomski, has an eye for Puerto Rican life, but brief glimpses of flavored ices and cockfighting can’t make up for Albert Leon’s disingenuous script, which tries harder to please studio heads than audiences.

The film even ends at last year’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York, with a star appearance by Jennifer Lopez.

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“Feel the Noise.” MPAA rating: PG-13 for sensuality and innuendoes, violence, some drug use and language. Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes. In general release.