Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Heeeyyyyy
Richie Valens was one of many Mexican American pop stars of his era. Many were not known because they were members of bands and not solo artists like Valens. I thought Rosanna DeSoto gave an excellent performance as Valens' mother. She is one of my favorite actresses and can perform comedic roles equally as well as dramatic roles. She's a very versatile actress. In this movie, she was the only authentic Mexican American actor to be cast. The others were Cuban or something else. I would have preferred the role of Valens had gone to a Mexican American actor as Valens was of Mexican heritage and there are few roles about Mexican Americans that actually go to Mexican American actors. Aside from that, I enjoyed this movie.
Filmfanatic11
I flat out love this movie. The cast is solid and great. Lou Diamond Phillips did an impeccable job portraying the late Ritchie Valens and all his potential. You can't go wrong with this film and I recommend that everyone should watch it at least once to learn about the 1950's sensation who was unfortunately a part of "the Day the Music Died." The dialogue is strong. Esai Morales and Phillips capture the often contentious and ultimately loving brother-brother relationship quite well. Morales nailed the heart-wrenching final scene of the movie and conveyed the vices and struggles of Bob. The supporting cast do an excellent job in playing Ritchie's mother, his girlfriend Donna, and the music producer Keane. La Bamba is an important film because it exposes the audience to a sad and true rags-to-riches story that ends abruptly and tragically. The music is amazing and well done, much like the original songs, which is a crucial component of why La Bamba is a classic among biopics, in my opinion.
sredsha
Before I watched this movie I had no idea who Ritchie Valens was. I had heard the song La Bamba and had heard about The Day the Music Died but didn't know that he had anything to do with them. This movie is an excellent tribute to him, his music and his tragically short life.I only watched this movie in 2012. The movie was released two years before i was born. It was released in 1987. I thought that it would be dated but I was wrong. Apart from some of the cinematic techniques and cinematography this movie is still fresh and can appeal to today's audience just as much as it did 24 years ago.It is not overly sentimental but manages to strike the right balance in order to convey the correct emotions. There are no flashy sets or a convoluted story lines. no added frills. Just good honest, straight story telling that adds to the realness of the movie and the characters. Not a single moment is contrived or pretentious.The performances where great especially Lou Diamond Phillips and Esai Morales.Music was brilliant. Los Labos performed each track to perfection.The ending is a real tear-jerker.One of the best movies ever made. I can watch it over and over again without tiring of it and still cry at the end each time.Kudos to Luis Valdez and his entire team for making such a great piece of cinema. You have truly inspired me and shown what great cinema is about. Showing the truth.
Michael Neumann
At his untimely death in a plane crash at age 17 singer Richie Valens left little behind to musical posterity besides three hit songs and a sadly unfulfilled promise of more to come. With so short a life it's no surprise that his screen biography should concentrate more on the enduring fantasy of teenage rock 'n' roll stardom, in essence becoming the ultimate daydream of every young boy who fancies himself a guitar hero. The film captures some of the spirit of rock music's embryonic years, taking much of its energy from the dynamic performance of the title song by the group Los Lobos. But the screenplay stumbles somewhat during the sentimental domestic scenes, all too often settling for soap opera triteness ("…someday I'm going to buy that house for you, Mama…") or romantic flights of fancy ("…my dreams are pure rock and roll…"). Nostalgia value alone helps make it a pleasant if unsurprising diversion.
