Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

People are voting emotionally.

Excellent but underrated film

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I'm only giving this movie a 5 because it's all about Ritchie and his stupid music career when the whole story really ought to be about his super-cool big bro Bob Morales. I have no idea how true any of it is to Valens's actual life, but honestly it's probably better than the real story. You've got Bob, making his way through life, trying to get ahead, making his peace with a crappy family life, you're cheering for him all the way. But all the while you have to suffer through his loser lil' brother Ritchie, whining all about Donna and rock n' roll and whatnot. Who cares - what's Bob up to? Oh that's right - constantly getting a hard time from everybody because he doesn't live up to their "precious Ritchie". WHY?! Just 'cause Bob likes to party and make some extra money selling nose clams?! A kid Ritchie's age needs an authority figure around, and Bob knew it; that's why he took Ritchie down to Tijuana for some T&A and booze so he could shed that puritan schoolboy BS and become a real rock n' roller. Get over it, Connie! He was trying to do Ritchie a favor! And that fight he started at Ritchie's gig at the VA hall only upped Ritchie's street cred (which he desperately needed, wearing cardigans and referring to his girlfriend as "kitten" and such).Anyway, Ritchie gets an okay record deal, blows up, and leaves Bob back home hanging out to dry, as if his big brother never did anything good for him. Way to remember the little people, ya twerp! Then he and Tubby McWhite Lightnin get on a plane with Buddy Holly, an actually legit songwriter and musician, and they all die. The thing that never made sense to me was how much Ritchie's death screwed Bob up. Why, man? He was the source of all your problems, sucking up to mom, never having a good time so it made you look bad for hittin' the hard stuff - all your problems are solved, dude! Get out there and live! Bob Morales is one of the greatest characters in all of cinema if you ask me. Not to mention, he utters one of my favorite lines in all of moviedom: "Bob, I'm pregnant...aren't you gonna say anything?" "What's there to say? It's not my first...or my last." Yeah, Bob is awesome. Screw Ritchie, though. He takes up too much screen time.

Parts of this movie were done very well. They did a great job with the characters especially, and making them feel real and relatable. They built some real, solid, drama in this film, and some scenes were done terrifically. The main downfall is the script. The foreshadowing was handled horribly. It isn't subtle at all, it's just in-your-face, and doesn't really work to the effect it was hoping for...not to mention there's way too much. Another big problem with the movie is I feel like it was almost too focused on Ritchie's death. The very first scene opens with a plane exploding, if that tells you anything. It isn't very historically accurate, and certainly romanticizes the story a lot, too. At certain times the dialogue was really good and emotional, but at other times it was horribly cheesy. For what it is, the film put in a solid effort, and it is certainly an enjoyable film. 7/10

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.

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.