Movie

La Bamba

1987 · 108 min

A warm, bittersweet rise-and-fall story that sweeps you up in the music and then leaves you with a quiet ache.

Tagline: Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream.
Overview: 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.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: family
ambition
love
grief
identity
Places: small town
big city
home
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: true story
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	1
Humour	3
Realism	8
Romance	6
Tension	5
Darkness	5
Complexity	4
Emotional weight	8

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Where to watch in the UK

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Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: drama, music
Directed by: Luis Valdez
Written by: Luis Valdez
Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Danielle von Zerneck, Elizabeth Peña, Rosanna DeSoto, Esai Morales, Joe Pantoliano, Marshall Crenshaw, Brian Setzer
Music: Miles Goodman, Carlos Santana
Cinematography: Adam Greenberg
Runtime: 108 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English, Spanish

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La Bamba

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