I Saw the Light (2015) Reviews

• See ISTL for Tom Hiddleston's great performance and for Hank's eternal songs

  trez12016-03-26

  It's a shame that some of this film's structural flaws will keep many from seeing one of the best on screen performances I've seen in years. Hiddleston's Hank Williams is a masterful creation: haunting, driven and soulful with the added bonus of Hiddleston doing his own singing and playing (no lip-syncing) including Hank's famous yodel. While the film would have benefited with less marital squabbling and more music, it nonetheless takes one on an gripping journey of an American music icon's tragic life and short but amazing career. Elizabeth Olson as Audrey, William's headstrong wife, does a fine job but I could have done with less of their relationship story and more about Hank's musical process. Cherry Jones is also excellent as Hank's bossy mom. The stellar singing in the opening segment is worth the price of admission.

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• Hiddleston does Hank admirably--the movie no so much.

  jdesando2016-03-25

  "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" or "Your Cheatin' Heart" might have been better titles for the Hank Williams biopic, "I Saw the Light." The story written and directed by Marc Abraham has too much emphasis on his lonely, cheating persona that led to divorce and broken hearts along the arc of this film's 1944 to 1953, when he died of too much drugs and alcohol. After seeing Amy, about Amy Winehouse, I'm waiting currently for a softer biography, say of Perry Como. Anyway, Tom Hiddleston's turn as Williams is hypnotically spot on from tics and Southern drawl to hats and all the charm in between. Hiddleston is a good singer who seems to have captured Williams in a masterful interpretation of a manic depressive genius. That's my major concern with the story: I want more of the music, its creation and its challenges, and much less of the personal and domestic warfare, led by his wife, Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen). Olsen's Southern accent is impressively accurate without being too twangy although her singing is not up to Huddleston's level of smoothness. Audrey was apparently a strong woman who interjected herself into the studio as well as the home. Although she isn't as memorable as June Carter Cash, she is a force in Williams' life. At a point I was sympathetic to her and her children, who were small players in Williams' life. I guess if you really want to know Hank Williams, listen to his songs. If you want to see what Loki can do outside of science fiction, see him play Hank Williams in I Saw the Light.

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• From a big Hank fan...

  mizzouram2016-04-01

  I'm only 25 years old, but I have almost all of Hank's music and have read multiple books in high school about him (including "Hank Williams: The Biography" by Colin Escott). So needless to say, I had high hopes for this movie. I feel like my high hopes were mostly met. I thought the movie did a very good job of laying out Hank's life and showing his stardom as well as struggles. I didn't like as much that it was rated R vs a PG-13 for "Walk the Line", but then again, anyone who has studied Hank knows that his life was rough and he wasn't candy-coated by any means. I think Tom Hiddleston does a very good job as Hank, though maybe not QUITE as spot on as I would've liked. But when a big movie comes out about probably my biggest musical artist of all-time, I won't complain. From what I've read, Mr. Hiddleston was basically trained to be as spot-on as possible, and when I saw the movie, he had me believing it was Hank. Elizabeth Olsen did a very good job as Audrey as well. Overall, I quite enjoyed the movie and am anticipating any special edition releases when it comes out on DVD in a few months. Of course, there were moments of sadness especially toward the end, but there were also moments of happiness and (at least for me) a few chuckles. Although I wouldn't rank this as high as "Walk the Line" in my list of biopics, it was definitely worth the price of admission to me and I would totally see it again if given the opportunity.

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• Some outstanding performances make up for a flawed film

  jen-lynx2016-04-03

  The best part about going into a film with low expectations is being pleasantly surprised. "I Saw the Light" is Marc Abraham's biopic about country music legend, Hank Williams, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen as Williams' first wife, Audrey. I am no fan of country music, but I'll be honest, I am a big fan of Tom Hiddleston. Despite living a very short life (Williams died when he was only 29), Williams managed to write and release dozens of hit singles and leave an everlasting mark on the history of music. "I Saw the Light" attempts to capture this short, but brightly burning star, in his entirety and in doing so, manages to miss on most everything. There is no denying that both Hiddleston and Olsen give remarkably nuanced performances and Hiddleston's transformation from English gentleman to smalltown Southern boy is nothing short of brilliant, but sadly not even their acting can make up for a poorly conceived and executed story. The story, while apparently linear, jumps from place to place, with little explanation, thus leaving the audience to try and fill in the missing pieces, which is an impossible task for those who do not know Hank Williams' life. "I Saw the Light" is a flawed film from the structure, to the script, with some truly cringe worthy lines, to some terrible use of hand held cameras, yet I still enjoyed myself. Knowing that it was not a great film, I was able to just focus on what were Oscar worthy performances by both Hiddleston and Olsen. I left with little understanding of Hank Williams, but perhaps a better appreciation of his music. It was a fine way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. If you like Olsen or Hiddleston, it is worth seeing, otherwise wait for streaming or other media.

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• thin biopic

  SnoopyStyle2016-08-11

  Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) marries recently divorced single mom Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen) in 1944 in an Alabama gas station. He's a hard drinking country singer with some small success. She starts singing with him despite objections from the band and his mother (Cherry Jones). Audrey's constant calling gets Fred Rose (Bradley Whitford) to sign them. They stop Audrey's singing as Hank strives to perform in the Opry. His constant back pains leading to alcohol and pain killer use is finally diagnosed as chronic spina bifida occulta. After his divorce from Audrey, he has a brief affair with Bobbi Jett resulting in a daughter. He meets teenager Billie Jean Jones (Maddie Hasson) and later marries her. He would die on January 1, 1953. There is nothing substantive here. One would be better off to listen to Hank Williams music while watching a documentary about his life. It's very thin and I'm not talking about Hiddleston's physicality. One rarely gets a sense of the man or his marriage. There is no tension. There is no sense of his life or his work. His struggle with his back and alcohol is the obvious path but the movie doesn't elevate his pain. This is a waste of perfectly good talents. I laid all the blame on Marc Abraham who is more a producer than a writer or director.

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