Preamble: Before there was Selena, there was Richie Valens.

If you are an 80's baby or 90's kid like me, than surely you will remember that there was a point in time when La Bamba was for some odd reason always on somewhere for like a good two years. This movie was inescapable. I resisted for a good long while but when I finally decided to sit down and watch of my own accord, I fell in love. I loved this movie so much that I actually convinced my eighth grade Spanish teacher to let our class watch the movie with a Spanish dub.

This is one of my favorite 'rocker bio pics'. I love the look, sound and feel of this movie and you just might too. If you haven't seen this movie, maybe think about it, OK?
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Year: 1987

Rated: PG - 13

Summary - Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend whose parents didn't want her to date a Latino boy. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.

Director: Luis Valdez

Screenplay: Luis Valdez

Starring:

• Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens
• Esai Morales as Roberto "Bob" Morales (Ritchie's half-brother)
• Rosanna DeSoto as Connie Valenzuela (Ritchie's mother)
• Elizabeth Peña as Rosie Morales
• Danielle von Zerneck as Donna Ludwig
• Joe Pantoliano as Bob Keane
• Rick Dees as Ted Quillin
• Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy Holly
• Howard Huntsberry as Jackie Wilson
• Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochran
• Stephen Lee as The Big Bopper
• Sam Anderson as Mr. Ludwig (Donna's father)

Top Picks from the Soundtrack

• La Bamba - Los Lobos
• Charlena - Los Lobos
• Goodnight My Love - Los Lobos

The Review
The thing that makes it stand out from the pack of a lot of rocker bio pics is that is fast paced. Honestly this is a straight forward narrative that isn't very complex and the directorial aesthetic lacks a little depth but this movie is still very entertaining. I always end up on the fence about how much the racial stuff is kind of glossed over.

The film deals predominantly with Valens' family relationships - he was close to his mother as he was at odds with his brother Bob - and his sharp rise to fame. There are a few flaws: Lou Diamond Phillips, in the lead role, looks almost nothing like the real Valens although his performance is suitably intense and lively; and much of Valens' early attempts at performing are ignored. But the balance the film finds between each sub-plot his family, Bob's relationship with Valens's sweetheart Rosie and his difficulties with girlfriend Donna's family is a real winning formula.

The music tops things off well. What saddens me is how the film is not as well remembered as The Buddy Holly Story, which is a shame because it is almost as good. Some of the performances are truly excellent, and, more importantly, the spirit of the music is spot on.

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Grade: A

Aces for Acting

• Lou Diamond Phillips

MVP

• Los Lobos

Favorite Character

• Connie

Best Character Interactions

• Richie and Donna

Best Scene

• The First Party

Notable Quotable
Ritchie Valens: This is like my high school prom.

Bob Morales: Yeah. Except this prom puts out.

Most Memorable Moment

Bob Morales: What's going on?

Connie Valenzuela: [painting posters] Show business, show business.

Bob Morales: [signs look terrible] These look like shit, even a monkey can do better then this.

Connie Valenzuela: Oh Yea.

Bob Morales: [late at night Bob painting posters] Should've kept my mouth shut.

Factoids

• Ritchie Valens was only 17 years old when he died
• Don McLean's song "American Pie" is a tribute to Richie Valens and the others that died on a plane crash that day.
• Brian Setzer has a cameo as Eddie Cochran performing "Summertime Blues"

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Did I whet your appetite to watch La Bomba for the first time or maybe just the first time in a long time?

Be sure to come back tomorrow because I'm discussing Men In Black.

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