Netflix fans have just days to watch 'greatest biopic ever made'

Daily Record

14-05-2025

Featuring a cameo by the musician's real mother, the 1987 film has been hailed by many as "the greatest biopic ever made"
The short yet impactful life of American Chicano rock and roll musician Ritchie Valens has been beautifully encapsulated in the 1987 biopic La Bamba.
Written and directed by Luis Valdez, La Bamba follows the life and short-lived musical career of Valens — famously known as a rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement.
‌
Starring Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens, the actor is joined on screen by Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Danielle von Zerneck and Joe Pantoliano. La Bamba also delves into the impact and effect that Valens' brief career had on the lives of his girlfriend Donna Ludwig, his half-brother Bob Morales, and the rest of his family.
‌
Titled after a traditional Mexican folk song of the same name, La Bamba featured a cameo by Ritchie Valens' real mother — Connie Valenzuela. The Valenzuela family was also said to have been extremely involved in all aspects of the making of the biographical film. Viewers can catch the rousing biopic on Netflix till May 31.
Grossing $52.7 million in the United States over a release period of 12 weeks, La Bamba received generally positive reviews from critics, as well as audiences.
Calling Luis Valdez's offering a 'rousing foot-tapper', one critic wrote: 'This rousing foot-tapper from the pioneering American film-maker Luis Valdez is the definitive Eighties music biopic.
Another review called La Bamba: 'Sweet and serious, a fine little movie that accomplishes just what it sets out to do.'
One critic was left exceedingly impacted by the biopic and shared: 'More than a week after seeing the film, I cannot shake La Bamba's people, its vitality, the freshness of its vision, and the profoundly honest way it views the milieu of its characters and the larger American canvas surrounding them.'
‌
Another review for the film says: 'Sweet and serious, a fine little movie that accomplishes just what it sets out to do.'
One viewer concluded it was the 'greatest biopic ever made' and wrote: 'The greatest Bio Movie ever made!! Lou Diamond Phillips and the cast give amazing performances.'
‌
A detailed audience review raving about the movie says: 'You know for a movie that's in the Library of Congress, nobody really talks about La Bamba all that much. How come? This was a really good biography about a singer who was tragically gone too soon with spot-on casting, classic music and a lot of heart.
'It's a decidedly unpretentious rags-to-riches biopic and even with the ending being a foregone conclusion for anyone who knows even the vaguest thing about Richie Valens, it doesn't stop it from being any less shocking and poignant. La Bamba is a criminally underrated movie and if you love biographies, then you should definitely check this one out.'
While one viewer admitted, 'I wont lie, I did cry,' another said: 'It's the best performance I've ever seen. Great story, great actors.'
Yet another viewer wrote: 'Solid music biopic. Hits all the typical beats, but does so with a strong cast and performances that are endearing. Such a tragic tale, but an engaging one.'