In 1952, a young medical student Ernesto Guevara leaves his Argentinian hometown with his best friend Alberto Granado to embark on a 8,000 mile journey through South America. As they engage in misadventures along the beautiful landscape of Argentina, Chile, and Peru while interacting with the inhabitants they encounter, Ernesto will adopt the nickname of "Che" and realize his life's calling. Based on revolutionary Che Guevara personal travel journal, Walter Salles' "The Motorcycle Diaries is an engaging road picture that is most notable for its absolutely jaw dropping cinematography of its South American landscapes. The friendship between Guevara and Granada is in turns funny and touching as well, and Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna deliver nice performances as the two compadres. The film does misstep though in the poor development of Che's own self-realization. His turn from an introverted medical student to fiery radical comes too quickly and lacks believability. Still, where the film fails as an individual biopic, it makes up for in its spectacular scenery.
