John Leguizamo flits from genre to genre, refusing to pigeonhole himself – this is the guy who pulled off the role of Toulouse Lautrec in Baz Luhrmann's delirious Moulin Rouge, slipped into the seamy Seventies of Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and gave a ferocious performance in one of 2005's little-seen masterpieces, Sebastian Cordero's Cronicas. But for every well-chosen, intelligent film Leguizamo makes, there's a The Pest lurking in the background, just waiting to show itself.

While writer/director Renee Chabria's treacle-soaked triumph-over-adversity drama Sueno isn't exactly the horrific misfire The Pest is, it's certainly an exercise in endurance. Leguizamo (sporting really weird hair) stars as Antonio, a Mexican-born vocalist with a deep, unswerving passion for his art who relocates to Los Angeles after the death of his mother. While struggling to make ends meet, Antonio meets a pair of women – student Nina (Ana Claudia Talancon) and freshly divorced mom Mirabella (Elizabeth Pena) – both of whom have an effect on his music.

Mirabella, gifted with an amazing singing voice, joins Antonio's band as they attempt to win a sizable cash prize from a radio station-sponsored "battle of the bands." As Antonio wrestles with the future of his career – should he ditch his manager or not? – he soon discovers a way to maintain his integrity and reach a large audience.

Sueno (Spanish for "dream") unfolds quite predictably and were it not for Pena's performance and the kick-ass Latin-centric soundtrack, would be nigh unbearable – even the patently odd musical detours that take place in Antonio's head can't liven up this worn-out riff on a tried and true concept.

The Video:

Sueno is presented in a slick, almost garish 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that nevertheless presents cinematographer Eric Moynier's crisp images free of defect – there's a hint of grain here and there, but it lends a certain grit to the overall feel.

Talk about a wealth of options: Sueno packs no less than four Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks – English, Spanish, Thai and Portuguese. I only sampled the English soundtrack and found it pretty robust – dialogue is heard clearly, free of distortion while scenes involving music have a little pop to them. Also on board are nearly as many subtitle options: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai and Japanese are available.

Sadly, the only bonus material is a handful of trailers for The Cave, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Gospel and La Bamba.

Sueno doesn't have nearly enough going for it to merit a recommendation, Elizabeth Pena's performance and the wonderfully kinetic Latin-centric soundtrack notwithstanding – those who insist on seeing everything John Leguizamo does will probably want to give this a rental spin while everyone else can pass on by. Rent it.