La Bamba(1987)

Columbia Pictures

PG-13
1h 48m

Release Date: Jul 24, 1987 | Wide

A
7

Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early Native Latino American rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.

Note: 4/18-4/20/21

Releases

Original Release | Jul 24, 1987

Original Release (Fathom Entertainment) | Apr 18, 2021

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Box Office Results

Updated as of May 14, 2026 11:52 AM ET

All Releases (2)
Total US & Canada:
$54,215,416
Total International
$0
Total Worldwide:
$54,218,591

Total US & Canada:
$52,850,134
Total Worldwide:
$52,850,134

Current Showtimes

orround

Fri May 29
Sat May 30
Sun May 31
Mon Jun 1
Tue Jun 2
Wed Jun 3
Thu Jun 4

Director & Top Cast

Luis Valdez
Director

Lou Diamond Phillips
Ritchie Valens

Esai Morales
Bob Morales

Rosanna DeSoto
Connie Valenzuela

Elizabeth Peña
Rosie Morales

Danielle von Zerneck
Donna Ludwig

Joe Pantoliano

Bob Keane

Rick Dees

Ted Quillin

Marshall Crenshaw

Buddy Holly

Howard Huntsberry

Jackie Wilson

Brian Setzer

Eddie Cochran

Daniel Valdez

Lelo

Felipe Cantu

Curandero

Eddie Frias

Chino

Mike Moroff

Mexican Ed

Geoffrey Rivas

Rudy

Sam Anderson

Mr. Ludwig

Maggie Gwinn

Mrs. Ludwig

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English,Spanish

Summaries

Plot Summary

During the summer of 1957 in Northern California, Richard Valenzuela (Lou Diamond Phillips) is a 16-year old Mexican-American teenager who lives with his mother Concepcion Valenzuela (Rosanna DeSoto) and his younger siblings. His family is poor, and he works as a farmworker after school. He loves music, especially rock and roll, and dreams of becoming a famous musician. Richie suffers from aviophobia on account of recurring nightmares about the mid-air collision that occurred directly over his school, in which his best friend was crushed to death by one of the fallen aircraft, an event he did not witness when he attended his grandfather's funeral. One day, Richie's troubled half-brother Roberto Morales (Esai Morales) arrives after being released from prison, surprising him and his mother. They all decide to leave the farm and move to a house in Southern California, along with Bob's girlfriend Rosie Caballero (Elizabeth Peña).Months later, Richie attends San Fernando High School where he falls in love with fellow student Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck), and joins his friend Chino's band, The Silhouettes, impressing them with his guitar skills. Meanwhile, Bob becomes an alcoholic and begins to abuse Rosie, shouting at her and raping her. When he learns that Rosie is pregnant, he refuses to take responsibility. Richie invites Donna to a garage party where he and the Silhouettes and performing. At the party, Richie performs in his guitar, but he doesn't get his turn to sing and Donna doesn't attend.Richie decides to host another party and becomes the Silhouettes' new leader after they vote out their original leader. However, a drunken Bob crashes the party and begins a brawl among the attendees. The next day, Bob Keane (Joe Pantoliano), the owner and president of Del-Fi Records in Hollywood, auditions Richie after seeing him perform at the party and signs him to his label; Keane becomes his record producer and manager. Richie and Donna become a couple, despite Donna's father disapproving his daughter dating a Hispanic teenager, and Richie begins recording songs like "We Belong Together" and "Come On, Let's Go" at Gold Star Studios. Keane gives Richie his professional name of "Ritchie Valens", which Richie dislikes at first, but eventually accepts. Ritchie begins releasing his songs on the radio and becomes an overnight sensation.Despite his increasing fame, Ritchie's relationship with Donna suffers with her father refusing to allow Ritchie to see her. He then gets the inspiration to write the song "Donna", as a tribute to her. One night, Bob meets up with Ritchie, and they take a road trip to Tijuana, Mexico for a good time. At a brothel, Ritchie sees a band performing the Mexican folk song "La Bamba". He awakens the next day in a small village and is given a talisman by an old man called El Curandero to protect him from his fear of flying. Ritchie and Bob return home to discover that Rosie gave birth to a girl named Brenda in their absence. Ritchie soon decides to make a rock and roll rendition of "La Bamba" as a single to go along with "Donna" and convinces Keane to release the song.At first, Ritchie avoids flying to his concerts and appearances, but eventually conquers his fear when invited to perform his song "Donna" on American Bandstand in Philadelphia. Keane helps him by giving him a little vodka to calm his nerves during the flight. Bob soon becomes jealous of Ritchie's success and drinks excessively while screaming and shouting at his family, wanting to see his daughter. Ritchie buys his family a brand-new house and goes to New York City to perform at Alan Freed's 1st Anniversary Rock 'n' Roll Show in Brooklyn, meeting Eddie Cochran (Brian Setzer) and Jackie Wilson (Howard Huntsberry) backstage. He then goes onto perform "La Bamba" much to the crowd's adoration. Arriving back home for Christmas, he is given a welcome back party by his family and friends. Bob is resentful and later begins a fight with Ritchie, breaking his talisman in the process. Ritchie promises Donna that he will always love her and hopes that one day they will get married.As Ritchie becomes more famous, his responsibilities change. He joins the Winter Dance Party Tour with Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw) and The Big Bopper (Stephen Lee) after "La Bamba" and "Donna" reach the top of the Billboard charts. While performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the tour bus' heating system breaks down, so Holly charters an airplane to fly to their next stop in Moorhead, Minnesota. Ritchie, Buddy and the Big Bopper take off in the airplane during a light snowstorm for their fateful flight on February 3, 1959 (a day that becomes known as "The Day the Music Died"). Before that, Ritchie makes a call to his brother, wherein they resolve their differences. He invites Bob to fly out to Chicago to join the tour for family support, which Bob accepts.The next day, as Bob is fixing his mother's automobile, he hears on the radio that Ritchie, Buddy and the Big Bopper's airplane crashed without any survivors. Bob darts out of his driveway in an attempt to get to his mother before she hears the tragic news through the radio. Unfortunately, by the time he gets to her house, she stands immobile. The tragic news hits the Valenzuela family, Bob Keane, and Donna very hard. After Ritchie's funeral procession at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Bob walks across a bridge and screams out Ritchie's name, remembering all the good times they had together (through flashback). During the closing credits, we then see Ritchie Valens perform his version of "La Bamba" at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater.

Storyline

Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper . This is the true story of Ritchie Valens , a young rock and roll singer who tragically died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper . The film follows Ritchie from his days in Pacoima, California where he and his family make a meager living working on farms to his rise as a star. The film also focuses on Ritchie's friendship and rivalry with his older brother Roberto Morales and his relationship with his girlfriend Donna Ludwig. — Mattias Pettersson An Indigenous Mexican-American farm laborer obsessed with music and full of dreams, 17-year-old Ritchie Valens burst into the world of rock and roll with a string of chart-busting singles. Clinging to the love of his girlfriend Donna Ludwig, haunted by a growing conflict with his older brother Roberto Morales, and eerie premonitions of his own death, Valens' meteoric rise to stardom suddenly ended in a shattering tragedy. On February 3, 1959, Ritchie Valens perished with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper in a plane crash five miles north of Clear Lake, Iowa.

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