La Bamba (1987) on Netflix

PG-1319871h 48mBiography Drama Music

In 1957 Northern California, sixteen-year-old Richie Valenzuela works as a farmhand after school and dreams of rock and roll. His half-brother Bob returns from jail, and the family moves south.

Netflix3.7/5
IMDb7.0/1038,967 votes
Rotten Tomatoes82%

Trailer

Plot summary

When his half-brother Bob gets out of jail, Richie Valenzuela and his mother Connie leave their Northern California farm for a house in Southern California. Richie enrolls at San Fernando High School, falls for Donna Ludwig, a classmate whose father objects to her dating him, and joins the Silhouettes, his friend Chino's band. Bob drinks heavily, clashes with his girlfriend Rosie, and refuses responsibility when she becomes pregnant. A party performance wins Richie an audition with Bob Keane, the owner of Del-Fi Records, who signs him, renames him Ritchie Valens, and releases his first singles, recorded at Gold Star Studios.

Did you know?!Facts and trivia about La Bamba (1987)

Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.

All of Ritchie Valens' songs in the film were performed by Los Lobos, a band the Valenzuela family personally requested be involved in the production.
Ritchie's real mother, Concepcion Valenzuela, appears as the older woman sitting next to Ritchie at a family party, and Daniel Valdez, Luis' younger brother, plays Ritchie's Uncle Lelo.
In 2017 La Bamba was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress, being deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
On 26 August 2024 a remake was announced, to be released through Mucho Mas Media and Sony Pictures, with Luis Valdez, the writer and director of the original film, serving as an executive producer.