The Motorcycle Diaries

Name: The Motorcycle Diaries
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Released: September 24, 2004
Duration: 126 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo De la Serna

2004

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 48 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 48 Ratings

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THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Movie Details & Credits

Focus Features | Release Date: September 24, 2004

Starring: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo De la Serna

Summary: This film follows an inspiring journey of self-discovery and traces the youthful origins of a revolutionary heart, Che Guevara. (Focus Features)

Director: Walter Salles

Genre(s): Adventure, Biography, Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 126 min

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Awards & Rankings

66	#66 Best Movie of 2004

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Baltimore Sun - Chris Kaltenbach

Lovely, heartfelt and unforced. Read full review

100

Portland Oregonian - Shawn Levy

The result is a rare and precious work. The Motorcycle Diaries is an epic road movie with everything you'd want from such a film: laughs, kicks, adventures, pathos, poetry, natural beauty, strange encounters and friendship tested and strengthened. Read full review

Rolling Stone - Peter Travers

A mesmerizing look at an asthmatic, rich-boy medical student in the act of discovering his insurgent spirit. Read full review

Salon - Andrew O'Hehir

There is a balancing act at work here that sometimes makes the film seem too careful, but I found it a lovely and supremely moving experience, a haunting symphony in a minor key if not a knock-your-socks-off masterpiece. Read full review

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) - Liam Lacey

Captures some of the spirit of the real Che. Read full review

Newsweek - David Ansen

It's a picturesque tale that, hobbled by its episodic structure, never achieves full steam. Read full review

Chicago Reader - J.R. Jones

It never conjures up any coherent drama of its own, focusing instead on the historical destiny of Bernal's beefcake messiah. Read full review

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User Reviews

StephenS.

Sep 10, 2005

Combine beautiful photography and powerful, natural acting with terrific writing, and you have Motorcycle Diaries. For those who criticize the movie as creating a false portrait of a man who would later advocate violent revolution, have they so little imagination that they are unable to Combine beautiful photography and powerful, natural acting with terrific writing, and you have Motorcycle Diaries. For those who criticize the movie as creating a false portrait of a man who would later advocate violent revolution, have they so little imagination that they are unable to comprehend how a young person who goes off to discover the world could legitimately grow from a sheltered son of privilege into a revolutionary, given the conditions of the world? One's politics are generally formed by your life experiences, and for most U.S. citizens, their experience is standardized television/mall living, with few ever traveling out of their racial ghetto, much less out of the U.S. Whatever else a viewer might get from the film, would that it might be an interest in making his or her own journey of discovery--to places that no one in the family has ever visited. Go for six months. See if you, like Ernesto/Che aren't changed. Things don't happen for no reason at all, my fellow citizens.… Expand

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EduardoA.

Sep 17, 2005

(Sorry if my english is bad). It is simply the best movie I've ever seen, i always admired "Che" Guevara because of his intelligence and his principles, his vision, the way that he matured, until becoming the most unselfish being in the world, and I think this movie reflects all that, (Sorry if my english is bad). It is simply the best movie I've ever seen, i always admired "Che" Guevara because of his intelligence and his principles, his vision, the way that he matured, until becoming the most unselfish being in the world, and I think this movie reflects all that, and it does in a way that only non-commercial director's and these kind of actors (famous in south america) can.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

FazilM.

Mar 20, 2006

Possibly Gael Garcia's best performance till date. The film is seamless and very heartening at times. Also to be praised is Gustavo Santaolalla's impeccable compositions for the move.

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SamX.

May 1, 2006

Stunning visual style and reminiscient of Jack Kerouac on the road. Those who rate this film poorly are probably just critics of el Che, and their opinions of the man and legend is reflected in the scores, rather than the content of the film itself.

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SrPepe

Sep 5, 2018

Si bien llega un momento en el que la película puede parecer bastante lenta, es muy interesante ver la historia atrás de un personaje tan controvertido e histórico por lo menos en la historia de Latinoamérica.

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MauroPTriano

Dec 22, 2013

Well crafted and acted but it is not really special, the story is ambitious but the characters don't develop an interesting relationship and it just reach the point of showing an inspired young "Che". Gael García Bernal's work should be mentioned.

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Albert

Jun 9, 2006

Just a correct road movie, with beautiful photography and good acting. Unfortunately it lacks a litle bit more depth. Guevara's moral coming of age is determined by too few episodes. "How much unjustice", he claims when he's about to return to Argentina. And anyone who knows South Just a correct road movie, with beautiful photography and good acting. Unfortunately it lacks a litle bit more depth. Guevara's moral coming of age is determined by too few episodes. "How much unjustice", he claims when he's about to return to Argentina. And anyone who knows South America, and anyone who has read his diaries, knows he met quite a lot more reasons to become conscious about what was/is happening in the continent. Anyway. I would like to make just one coment to a couple of the site users : I don't know what you are taught in your History classes in the USA, but to consider Che Guevara a mass murderer reveals either an absolute abscence of knowledge on the subject, or an absolute abscence of knowledge of the english language.… Expand

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