Plot
Lou Diamond Phillips plays legendary 1950s rocker Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Valenzuela), in this musical biography. Before scoring radio and concert success with hits like "La Bamba", "C'mon Let's Go", and "Donna", Valens was a 15-year-old migrant worker who worked with his mother Connie (Rosana De Soto). Valens' half-brother Bob Morales (Esai Morales) is a vitriolic ex-con who roars into the migrant camp on his Harley after his release from jail. Valens' musical talents are encouraged by his family -- though later various members of his family react to his fame with varying degrees of pride and envy -- and he soon earns an audition with legendary record producer and former Artie Shaw clarinet player Bob Keane (Joe Pantoliano). Valens soon appears in an Alan Freed rock n' roll teen exploitation film, lip-synching his blistering recorded version of "Ooh, My Head". When a romance with Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck) is forbidden by her conservative father, Valens pens the famous ballad that bears her name. Tours follow his chart success until the fatal plane crash that claimed the lives of Valens, The Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson), and Buddy Holly on February 3rd, 1959. The supporting cast is excellent with power-pop icon Marshall Crenshaw playing Buddy Holly singing "Crying, Waiting, Hoping". Brian Setzer accurately portrays rocker Eddie Cochran, and Howard Hunstberry plays Jackie Wilson and sings "Lonely Teardrops". Additional music is provided by Los Lobos, a band who traces their musical roots directly to Valens and other Mexican influences. Also making cameo appearances are the real-life Mrs. Connie Valenzuela and Bob Morales. Although not 100% historically accurate, La Bamba is much more accurate than 1978s The Buddy Holly Story. The feature turned a new generation on to the influential Tex-Mex rock that was an inspiration to such later rockers as The Bobby Fuller Four as well as Los Lobos. ~ Dan Pavlides, RoviReview
A somewhat syrupy rendering of real-life rags-to-riches rock and roller Ritchie Valens, La Bamba is both heartwarming and tragic. Lou Diamond-Phillips gives an energetic performance as the Mexican-American Valens; his acclaimed work in the film ultimately proved a double-edged sword, as the actor was largely unable to eclipse this performance in subsequent films. La Bamba's script extrapolates freely from the actual life and events surrounding Valens, but the end result is a pretty sound story that makes for a solid film. The music, provided primarily by Mexican-American rockers Los Lobos, helped their re-make of "La Bamba" chart on Billboard thirty-odd years after its initial release. Supporting performances by Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy Holly and Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochran lend the film even greater rock and roll credibility. The story that ended tragically in a plane crash claiming the lives of Valens, the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly informed a new generation of their legacy and was a hit at the box office. ~ Mike DiBella, RoviCast
- Lou Diamond Phillips - Ritchie Valens
- Esai Morales - Bob Morales
- Rosanna de Soto - Connie Valenzuela
- Elizabeth Peña - Rosie Morales
- Danielle von Zerneck - Donna Ludwig
- Joe Pantoliano - Bob Keene
Credit
Daniel Valdez - Associate Producer, Sylvia Vega-Vasquez - Costume Designer, Luis Valdez - Director, Don Brochu - Editor, Sheldon Kahn - Editor, Stuart Benjamin - Executive Producer, Los Lobos - Composer (Music Score), Miles Goodman - Composer (Music Score), Carlos Santana - Composer (Music Score), Curt Sobel - Composer (Music Score), Carlos Santana - Songwriter, Alan C. Blomquist - Production Designer, Vince Cresciman - Production Designer, Adam Greenberg - Cinematographer, Stuart Benjamin - Producer, Bill Borden - Producer, Taylor Hackford - Producer, Rosemary Brandenberg - Set Designer, Susumu Tokunow - Sound/Sound Designer, Warren Hamilton - Sound Editor, Luis Valdez - Screenwriter, Chuck Colwell - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Buddy Holly - Featured Music, Ritchie Valens - Featured Music| La Ballata dei Lavavetri (1998 Film), La Ballata Di Eva (1986 Film) | |
| La Bambina (1975 Film), La Bambola (1973 Film) |
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