The Motorcycle Diaries

R

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2 hr. 6 min.

Biography

Drama

List

83%

159 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

On a break before his last semester of medical school, Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Gael García Bernal) travels with his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) from Brazil to Peru by motorcycle. The two men soon witness the great disparities in South America, encountering poor peasants and observing the exploitation of labor by wealthy industrialists. When they reach a leper colony in Peru, Ernesto's values have changed so much that he sides with the sufferers, forgetting his own comfort.

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Critics Consensus

The Motorcycle Diaries is heartfelt and profound in its rendering of the formative experiences that turn Ernesto "Che" Guerva into a famous revolutionary.

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The H

realistic and authentic for the most part

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/30/23

Full Review

Leaburn O

A nice enough film about Guevara's famed journey across South America. The real beauty comes in the photography of the continent as we join this epic trip and see some amazing scenery. Well acted and you come to like the two protagonists. Bought this one for £1 in a charity shop on DVD.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Ari V

Finally watched it on gf's rec and glad I did. Top notch stuff.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

hamid reza g

The film deals exactly with the point of departure of "Ernesto Che Guevara". This biography / road movie can be called a quasi-documentary. The journey of two friends and two lives with common dreams in Latin America and the film shows a real picture of these lands. The film becomes very deep and powerful in the second half and tends more towards the documentary structure. In one of the dialogues at the beginning of the movie, Ernesto's friend says that if there is no motorcycle, we should go on foot. Ernesto says better because then we see better and more people. Right from the middle of the movie, when the motorcycle is no longer useful due to its problems and being scrap, and they continue on foot, it becomes a journey to the depth of belief and changes both friends. The film follows life during the journey. And in the hands and curved lines of people's faces, there is a longing for life. The credits at the end of the movie are wonderful.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/03/23

Full Review

Santiago E

Definitely a great movie about Che Guevara's story before becoming a revolutionary figure. The movie doesn't touch on the most polemical subjects of his story (the revolution and guerrilla times), but more on his past and what led him to become what he became. Truly a must see if interested in Che Guevara's reasons to become what he became.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/22

Full Review

Damiano C

In many ways, this is a story about coming of age "Diarios de motocicleta" shows Ernesto (Che) Guevara's inner story, based on his diaries from his youth and those of his friend Alberto Granado. This fictionalized reconstruction transports us into the feelings of a Latin American consciousness that has been ideologically rediscovered.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/02/22

Full Review

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Walter Salles

Director

Gael García Bernal

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara de la Serna

Rodrigo de la Serna

Alberto Granado

Mercedes Morán

Celia de la Serna

Mía Maestro

Chichina Ferreyra

Jorge Chiarella

Dr. Bresciani

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The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Traveling Just to Travel

2:15

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - To a United South America

3:01

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Don't Take Forever

2:04

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Hustling for Food and Shelter

2:59

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Swimming Across the Amazon

3:22

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Alberto Meets Luz

2:49

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Brutally Honest

1:51

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Diagnosing a Tumor

2:15

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Repairing "The Mighty One"

2:01

The Motorcycle Diaries: Official Clip - Looking For Shelter

1:13

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Walter Salles's well-observed movie downplays politics for humanism. It's a picturesque tale that, hobbled by its episodic structure, never achieves full steam.

Mar 13, 2018

Full Review

Independent (UK)

Rated: 3/5

Mar 7, 2005

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Oct 20, 2004

Full Review

Jane Freebury

The Canberra Times (Australia)

The Motorcycle Diaries takes you along on a meandering road trip through South America with a young Che Guevara, the Marxist revolutionary.

Aug 18, 2022

Full Review

Rosa Parra

Latinx Lens

A breathtaking road trip movie across South America. A coming of age & consciousness story carried by a strong performance from Bernal.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 15, 2021

Full Review

Steve Erickson

Gay City News

This is radical chic without the radicalism, seemingly geared toward people who find Guevara vaguely admirable but would be turned off by talk of class struggle and revolution.

Mar 6, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

On a break before his last semester of medical school, Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Gael García Bernal) travels with his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) from Brazil to Peru by motorcycle. The two men soon witness the great disparities in South America, encountering poor peasants and observing the exploitation of labor by wealthy industrialists. When they reach a leper colony in Peru, Ernesto's values have changed so much that he sides with the sufferers, forgetting his own comfort.

Director: Walter Salles
Executive Producer: Robert Redford
Screenwriter: Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Jose Rivera
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: South Fork Pictures, FilmFour Productions
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 24, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.8M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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