[1][2][3] The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Danielle von Zerneck and Joe Pantoliano.

In 2017, La Bamba was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.

Three months later, Richie attends San Fernando High School where he falls in love with his classmate Donna Ludwig, and joins his friend Chino's band, The Silhouettes.

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.

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 at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater, meeting musicians Eddie Cochran and Jackie Wilson backstage.

Arriving home for Christmas, he is given a welcoming party by his family and friends, but Bob is resentful and later starts a fight with Ritchie, breaking his talisman in the process.

Ritchie joins the Winter Dance Party tour alongside Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper after "La Bamba" and "Donna" reach the top of the Billboard charts.

While performing in Clear Lake, Iowa, at the Surf Ballroom, the tour bus' heating system breaks down, so Buddy charters an airplane to fly to their next stop in Moorhead, Minnesota.

The next day, as Bob is fixing his mother's car, he hears on his radio that Ritchie, Buddy and The Big Bopper's airplane had crashed, killing everyone on board.

Marshall Crenshaw plays Buddy Holly performing "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" at the final concert in Clear Lake, Iowa.

The website's consensus reads: "Elevated by a perceptive performance by a perfectly cast Lou Diamond Phillips, La Bamba distills its subject's creative energy – and reflects his music's enduring appeal.

Roger Ebert liked the film and the screenplay, writing, "This is a good small movie, sweet and sentimental, about a kid who never really got a chance to show his stuff.

The movie will 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.