La Bamba

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 ...more

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 ...more