La Bamba
LA
BAMBA (15)
D: Luis Valdez
Columbia/New Visions (Taylor Hackford & Bill
Borden)
US 1987
108 mins
Biopic/Drama/Musical
W: Luis Valdez
DP: Adam Greenberg
Ed: Sheldon Kahn & Don Brochu
Mus: Carlos Santana
Lou Diamond Phillips (Ritchie Valens), Esai Morales (Roberto
Morales), Rosana DeSoto (Connie Valenzuela), Elizabeth Peña (Rosie Morales), Marshall Crenshaw (Buddy Holly)
Lou Diamond Phillips delivers a decent performance in this
easy-going biopic of 1950's rock & roll singer Ritchie Valens whose life and career was cut short in the same plane crash which killed Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Though enjoyable, like real life this film plays second fiddle
to similar films about the life and career of Buddy Holly (notably The Buddy Holly Story (qv)), and doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Great music though.
6/10
