It's all about Bob

I just watched La Bamba, starring Lou Diamond Phillips. I especially liked it because of its historical significance. However, in addition to the main story line there are a great deal of subplots and contextual richness that fill in the rest of the story. One of these underlying stories that I most enjoyed was more of the following of a character than, just a subplot. Bob Morales (Esai Morales), the brother of Ritchie Valens, played by Phillips, really grows the most as a character. He experiences more than any of the other characters and the viewer truly gets an insight into his psyche more than that of any other character including the protagonist. We see Bob as a drunk, a druggie, and a womanizer for the majority of the movie. Basically, the picture that the film paints of Bob is a slacker who has a great plan of going nowhere in life. However, there are many instances in the film that depict Bob as a more compassionate person. His enthusiasm comes out when he enters the drawing contest and wins. We feel his joy, because we hope that this will turn Bob’s life around, but his hopes are shot down by Rosie, the woman who he shoots down many times. Towards the end of the film, when we realize the fate of Ritchie (at least those of us who have seen the movie once before), we also see that Bob is changing for the better. We find out, during his phone call with Ritchie, who was in Iowa, that Bob was going to go out cruising but he decided to stay back and take care of his baby. Finally, when Ritchie’s death is announced, Bob has the most severe reaction to it. He goes running to his mother and he embraces Rosie. The final shot of the film is of Bob, alone, on the bridge and the last non-diegetic sound we hear is Bob’s voice screaming “Ritchie.” I'm not saying that Bob was to be forgiven for all his faults because of his strong feelings. However, I think Bob gets a bad wrap. He acts in such extreme ways because he feels so much, so strongly not because he is bad person.