La Bamba (1987)

Lou Diamond Phillips leaves a haunting impression as the late 1950s pop idol Ritchie Valens, who made the Latino influence in rock & roll conspicuous through his hit songs. Filmmaker Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit) creates a nimble, exciting, and sympathetic portrait of the boy driven to rise above obstacles of race and family legacy, and Esai Morales is equally fine as Ritchie's envious, searching brother. Great support from Elizabeth Peña and Danielle von Zerneck as Valens's sister and mother, respectively, and Joe Pantoliano is solid as the singer's straight-talking manager. Valdez brightens up the third act with a rock & roll show featuring, among others, Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochrane. Marshall Crenshaw turns up as Buddy Holly getting on that plane with Valens, and Los Lobos (who actually performs Valens's music on the soundtrack) has a nifty cameo as a Tijuana band that gives Valens a piece of crucial inspiration. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

My favorite movie of all time

La Bamba is my favorite movie of all time hands down. Of all the films I have seen not many reached me the way La Bamba did. I first saw this movie back in the summer of 96 when I was 17-years old and I fell in love with this movie and also became a big fan of Ritchie Valens. No joke I would watch this movie every single day it was on. La Bamba was a staple part of HBO's line up and even if it was on twice a day I would watch it. For me, each time I saw the movie it felt like the first time. I would drive my friends crazy with having to watch it even after I recorded the movie they figured I wouldn't watch it as much, but I still did.

At the time I was actually learning the guitar and I never really played at all and this movie inspired me to actually practice and not only that, but it also inspired me on wanting to be a filmmaker. I really can't think of any other movie that reached me on this deep of a level. Like I said in the opening of my review La Bamba is hands down my favorite movie of all time. For starters it has some truly great music; La Bamba is about having a dream and not letting anyone stop you from reaching that dream. It's about love and family.

The screenplay by Luis Valdez was excellent; the characters are great and each of the main players all add to the movie. None of the characters are just there. Each character plays a crucial part of the movie. While yes the story does revolve around Ritchie played amazingly by Lou Diamond Phillips, but in many ways movie is actually Bob's story played by Esai Morales who pretty much steals the show. There is a bond between the 2 brothers, but there is also tension. Bob is always in Ritchie's shadow despite being older and I was really able to relate more to Bob in many ways than Ritchie. Ritchie was sort of the Golden Boy, while Bob was sort of the outsider.

I think at some point in our lives we have felt like we were in someone's shadow, either it be a friend, family member or co-worker. The more Ritchie finds success the more Bob falls into this despair as all the attention goes to Ritchie and he's sort of forgotten about. The movie may revolve around Ritchie, but it's very much Bob's story. And Esai Morales gives a terrific performance. La Bamba is about going for your dreams and not letting anyone stop you from reaching them. We all have dreams in life and most of us are too afraid to try and make them come true. Ritchie had a dream in life and wouldn't let anything keep him from that and I hold that close. La Bamba gave me and still gives me the courage to go after my own filmmaking dreams.

As director Luis Valdez creates some truly touching scenes and some truly inspiring moments. When making a Bio-picture normally certain parts are played up more for dramatic effect and Valdez does that here, but it works well. A lot of the scenes with tension between Bob and Ritchie comes from real life and comes from the own personal experience between Luis Valdez and his own brother. The love story between Ritchie and Donna played by Danielle von Zerneck are possibly the strongest scenes of the movie and shows a time of innocence.

Prior to this movie I knew who Ritchie Valens was and I knew his music, but I wouldn't be able to place the music with the artist. All the music in the movie that Ritchie sings is performed by Los Lobos who did justice to the original music, but I sought out the original versions by Ritchie and loved it. On my guitar I used to play Donna, Come on Let's Go and La Bamba non-stop. Nothing can top the opening lick in La Bamba.

Lou Diamond Phillips made his screen debut, but if not mistaken he actually shot Stand and Deliver first, but this one came out first. Lou Diamond gives a performance of a lifetime. His performance is so real and inspiring. I would rate this performance as one of my all time favorites. By the time I saw La Bamba I was already a fan of Lou Diamond, but this movie made him one of my very favorite actors of all time. Esai Morales though pretty much steals the show like I stated before. Rosanna DeSoto as Connie, Ritchie's mother is excellent and Joey Pantoliano as Ritchie's manager is excellent, but Joey Pants always delivers. Elizabeth Pena also gives a good performance as Ritchie's ex-girlfriend who is now with Bob, which creates some uneasy tension.

I'll be the first to admit the final act always gets me teary-eyed. The death of Ritchie and Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper was so tragic. Buddy Holly is one of my all time favorite musicians. When Ritchie's family and friends hear the news over the radio it's just so tragic. Sleepwalk, played by Santo & Johnny is so hauntingly beautiful and really adds to the scene; Bob walking across a wooded bridge and stops and screams Ritchie's name never fails to give me the chills.

La Bamba is truly a great and uplifting movie that is really tragic, but again very uplifting. Ritchie was only 17-years old when he died and I remember being freaked out since I was that very age when I first saw the movie. At that age death isn't something we think about and it was quite creepy. This may be clichéd, but Ritchie may be gone, but his music and impact will never be forgotten. His life inspired this movie and this movie inspired me.

Without a doubt La Bamba is my very favorite movie nothing for me comes close. I can watch this movie everyday and never once get tired of it. Each time I see the movie it feels like the first time. May 1, 2008

Tragedy instead of cliche

With the release of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Storythe last possible rock biopic, it's probably time to look at one of several movies that defied the cliches of the genre.
La Bamba is the title song and dance craze (para bailar La Bamba. . .)in the story of Ricardo Valenzuela who becomes Richie Valens and whose life ended tragically in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly. The presence of the tragedy and the ending that's filled with grief instead of triumph makes this movie strangely immune to the sappiness of most rock movies. Excellent performances by Lou Diamond Phillips and Los Lobos mean that it's a film you can see more than once.
Walk Hard will probably kill the genre: no one will be able to look at most music movies with a straight face again, but La Bamba will survive.

Lynn Hoffman author of the very uncliched bang BANG: A Novel December 8, 2007

A Must watch movie

This is a great movie which can be watched over and over again. It is based on a true story. We love this movie and know you will too December 8, 2007

EXCELLENT BIO! RITCHIE VALENS!

"La Bamba" is a very good bio that has a lot of character development and by the time the doomed young Valens meets his fate,it hits home just how sad and tragic this infamous plane crash was! Introducing Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie, he takes the role seriously and plays the part well. Even though he does not do his own vocals, it is an excellent performance. The movie is a tale about two brothers as much as it is a story about the young rock star's quick climb to stardom and fall from the sky. Esai Morales plays Ritchie's half brother with gusto and it is this relationship that makes the film really shine. Ritchie's half brother is the opposite of the goodie two shoes Valens,but he is not really evil. It is a very interesting story. The DVD transfer is very good and the soundtrack is rocking! August 25, 2007

And now Ritchie Vaelns' life story

First we had The Buddy Holly Story, and now we have La Bamba, that is Ritichie Valens' own life story, and in the Buddy Holly Story we had Gary Busey doing his own singing, in this movie, Lou Diamond Philips doesn't do his own singing, instead it is a band named Los Lobos. And plus we get some more out of this story then the buddy Holly Story, okay we know that Ritchie Valens was another one of the singers that lost his life in the plane crash on the morning of Febuary 3rd, but how much else do we know about him, since his carrier was only 8 months long? La Bamba opens with some boys playing basketball in a school yard, and in the sky are 2 plans, that crash, and guess where they fall. Yep, that is rgith to the schoolyard below, we later learn that one of Ritchie Valens' best friends was killed on this day, and that we are too believe that this is his memory. We also learn that he was not present that day, and he believes that if he was, he would have been killed by one of the falling planes. Hence, why he didn't like to fly. Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) grows as a poor boy out in the middle of Calfiorna, he lives with his Mom Connie Valenzuela (Rosana De Soto) , and one day when working out in the fields he sees his troubled half brother Bob Morales (Esai Morales) coming out hsi motorcycle, and goes off a ride. And then find Connie, and they also introuce a freind of his mom name Rosie (Elizabeth Pena) to Bob. They movie out, and into a trailer, and 3 months later Connie leaves for her job as a waitress. And he heads off to school, where a new girl named Donna (Danielle von Zerneck) is new to town, and to the school, and is in one of his classes with Ritchie. The rest you should get of his beginning of his carrier, where he treys out for a garbage band, makes it, but at the first gig the lead singer (Geoffrey Rivas) doesn't even let him sing, which leads Ritchie to tour around town solo, and envtelally with the band minus the lead singer, when then he is spoted by the man that would be become his manger and his name is Bob Keene (Joe Pantoliano), which leads to his school days being over, and Ritchie still dating Donna, even if her parents, weel at least her father doesn't approve of Ritchie and the music that he plays.
April 3, 2006

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