The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

The beauty of the South American landscape and of Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Bad Education) gives The Motorcycle Diaries a charisma that is decidedly apolitical. But this portrait of the young Che Guevara (later to become a militant revolutionary) is half buddy-movie, half social commentary--and while that may seem an unholy hybrid, under the guidance of Brazillian director Walter Salles (Central Station) the movie is quietly passionate. Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna, a lusty and engaging actor) set off from Buenos Aires, hoping to circumnavigate the continent on a leaky motorcycle. They end up travelling more by foot, hitchhiking, and raft, but their experience of the land and the people affects them profoundly. No movie could affect an audience the same way, but The Motorcycle Diaries gives a soulful glimpse of an awakening social conscience, and that's worth experiencing. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Fantastic movie, but after some research behind it, only then can your eyes be truly opened.

I write this as a 20-year-old American college student who watched this movie in her Spanish class without even knowing who Ernesto "Che" Guevara was. The movie itself was really quite good. I felt very sympathetic towards Ernesto and Alberto; the way they started out just having a good time and being moved so much by the indigenous people they met along the way. I felt very connected to them. Really, it's a touching movie and makes you feel very empathetic towards the world, in general.

After finding out about him becoming involved with Fidel Castro though, a little "ding ding ding" went off in my head. I decided to research more into this guy and what I found was quite surprising, to say the least. And I still cannot figure out why this man is so revered and is on t-shirts everywhere.

I felt very sad to find out that the man in this film, who was so likable and gentle, could go on to murder massive amounts of people, speak with words with such hatred, and all in the name of the poor people, who he apparently also killed. Yeah, these are facts, whether you like them or not. And the only answer to my question is that this movie just doesn't portray him... as it should have. Or maybe even as he really was. Yes, anyone can feel empathy for the poor and there's nothing wrong with being an idealist. But knowing all of this AFTER I have seen the movie kind of takes the magic away.

I'm still not quite sure what I think about Che Guevara. And yes, I know that this movie is not about the revolutionary but about his early life. Even so, that doesn't mean you can't exclude this man's entire life on those claims. Adolf Hitler wanted to be a preacher and we all know how he turned out. I'm not comparing this guy to Hitler, but if anyone is a prime example of "good boy gone bad", it would be the Fuhrer himself. Also, if one is going to make a movie out of a VERY important figure's life, it had better present the cold hard facts. We can "d'awww" all day at baby pictures of little Adolf, but that doesn't change what he became; THE most infamous name in all of history.

Fighting for what you believe in is a good message. It'd be even better if one didn't kill the people whom one was fighting for. And that's probably the main reason I just can't see Che as a hero or anyone to put on a t-shirt. The Cuban Revolution was apparently a great thing. So... why is everybody still suffering and in pain? Nothing is better than it was before. People are still impoverished and sick and dying. Why is this guy the hero while Fidel Castro is among the hated leaders of the world? Because he was killed before he could do any real damage, and compared to the atrocities he committed while he was alive, that's saying something. November 20, 2008

Awesome Movie, not so great DVD edition.

The movie is great, lots of reviews about it. But this edition has subtitles embedded on the movie that you CAN'T TURN OFF. Beware of that before buying it ;) November 9, 2008

Oveglorified Psychopath

Let's see . . . what did Che Guevara do with his life? Oh, yeah, that's right, he killed people. That's all. He just killed a lot of people. That . . . is . . . all.

But . . . because he killed a lot of people in the name of Communism AND he hated America all the liberals/leftists have overglorified and overrated him.

Just like they once did with Josef Stalin. November 5, 2008

che guevara

esta pelicula era muy bueno porque los actores han hecho un bueno trabajo. la pelicula mostrado muchas paises be latina america. tambien, la pelicula mostrado muchos partes de la vida de ernesto guevara. el che guevara el mundo conoce es muy diferente de el che guevara este pelicula. si quieres aprender mas sobre la vida de che guevara, ves este pelicula. October 14, 2008

Beautifully Done

This is a powerful story and I think helped me understand more about Che Guevara. When you see his deep passion for the people and dedication to "the least of these," you can see more how he became a revolutionary. Even though he ended up caught up in violence, you can see how his heart began in the right place.

Beautiful cinematography, and Gael Garcia Bernal does a wonderful job as Che, with just the right mix of intensity and innocence. October 9, 2008

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