La Bamba

"Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream."

1987 1h 48m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 839

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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. 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.

“Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream.”

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Cast

Lou Diamond Phillips
Ritchie Valens
Danielle von Zerneck
Donna Ludwig
Elizabeth Peña
Rosie Morales
Rosanna DeSoto
Connie Valenzuela
Esai Morales
Bob Morales
Joe Pantoliano
Bob Keane
Marshall Crenshaw
Buddy Holly
Brian Setzer
Eddie Cochran

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luis Valdez
Writers: Luis Valdez
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luis Valdez, shot by Adam Greenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miles Goodman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sheldon Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lou Diamond Phillips and Danielle von Zerneck and Elizabeth Peña carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luis Valdez directs. Adam Greenberg behind the camera. Miles Goodman scores. Sheldon Kahn cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.3× over at the box office.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Luis Valdez, shot by Adam Greenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Miles Goodman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Sheldon Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lou Diamond Phillips and Danielle von Zerneck and Elizabeth Peña carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream.".
9IMDB entry: tt0093378 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "rock 'n' roll", "biography", "death", "dying young".