A heartfelt biopic of Ritchie Valens, the '50s rock and roll singer whose career was cut tragically short when he was killed in a plane crash just after reaching the heights of fame.
The film itself follows a traditional format, showing Valens's humble working background and the gradual successes before he hits the big time. Along the way, many scenes are given over to Ritchie's relationship with his brother Bob, a tempestuous character who adds plenty of drama to the proceedings, and there's also time for romance.
Although Lou Diamond Phillips didn't do the actual singing, I think he makes a good fist of portraying Valens. He certainly brings a youthful energy to the part. Inevitably, the music scenes are the highlight of the film and a good job is done of making them as accurate as possible. The inevitable outcome adds a tragic twist to the film as a whole, which is really a celebratory outing of one man's outstanding talent.
The film itself follows a traditional format, showing Valens's humble working background and the gradual successes before he hits the big time. Along the way, many scenes are given over to Ritchie's relationship with his brother Bob, a tempestuous character who adds plenty of drama to the proceedings, and there's also time for romance.
Although Lou Diamond Phillips didn't do the actual singing, I think he makes a good fist of portraying Valens. He certainly brings a youthful energy to the part. Inevitably, the music scenes are the highlight of the film and a good job is done of making them as accurate as possible. The inevitable outcome adds a tragic twist to the film as a whole, which is really a celebratory outing of one man's outstanding talent.