Buddy's Song (1991) Reviews

• Daltrey in the background

  john-31092006-11-19

  Claude Whatham's (1990) film, based on Nigel Hinton's novel, charts the rapid success of a young pop singer, Buddy Clark (Chesney Hawkes), a generation before the film's actual release. Between his feckless Dad (Roger Daltrey) and struggling Mum (Sharon Duce) we follow Buddy's early success and sudden leap to fame, from his modest working-class roots. Replete with authentic classic cars and quirky costume of the times, this moving period piece captures the sudden, incandescent radiance of fame while balancing it with the sometimes grimy and shady underside of a business which puts people under the spotlight one day, only to drop them in the gutter the next. This is good film to watch, because it's made by people who - unlike young Buddy - have been through the mill and come out the other end in more or less one piece. Roger Daltrey (lead vocalist with 'The Who') and Bill Curbishley (Manager of 'The Who' and co-producer of the film) give the film an authentic bite that Hollywood might have missed.

  More

• Pointless film with average music and really wooden performances from the teenage cast

  bob the moo2003-07-20

  Buddy is an aspiring teenager who is a very good musician and has pressure to go further than his Dad's teddy boy rocker days. However when his father is sent away for a year for covering up for criminal Des it puts further strain on the family relationship. When Terry is released things get steadily harder while Buddy's career gets rosier. I can't imagine that many people will revisit this film unless they saw it when it came out on the back of Hawkes' short lived pop career. I only watched it on TV the other night out of interest as I had never seen it. As the film went on I started to wonder what had happened to the plot – there was some stuff about Terry being a criminal but this is dropped in favour of touring and recording. While this could be a musical drama, it isn't as nothing of any real consequence comes about. The film goes just where you expect it to in terms of ending, but does so without really doing much. I know that it is meant to be some sort of kitchen sink, rags to riches drama but it doesn't work at all. In place of drama there is mind numbing monotony as minor arguments occur between the various characters and are then resolved. It is difficult to see characters in the film and thus hard to be involved in any drama in their lives. The music is OK if you like soft, 1990's pop-rock stuff. There is no song in the main film that is as catchy as Hawkes debut hit, but even that is showing it's age now. Terry is the only watchable character and that is also due in a big way to Daltrey. He is the centre of the film and he manages to give a good performance despite never really having anything but dialogue that had been rejected from Minder episodes. The weak spot (and it's a big weak spot) is Hawkes. He, and most of the young cast, cannot act at this stage in their careers. Hawkes stands out as the worst, he has the same look on his face for the majority of the film and uses the same snotty tone of voice – he makes Steven Segal look like he's in touch with his inner self! Even when confronted with a pair of breasts, Buddy stares as if he's watching a boring TV show. I'm not sure if it's his performance or bad ADR, but the dialogue sounds fake for the most part, like it has no connection to the actors on screen (hence the thought that it might be bad dubbing), but sound or not he is simply a really poor actor and it is impossible to care about him or his story. Duce is good and Elphick has a brief role. Overall this film is pointless and very dull. The acting and production values gives it a feel of an episode of Grange Hill. Daltrey (as others have said) is quite good and tries hard but his natural performance only serves to make Hawkes look even more wooden and forced. I watched this film out of curiosity as I was a teenager when Hawkes hit big with his single – after a pretty dull 105 minutes I wished I hadn't bothered. It's not a totally bad film – it is just inconsequential and littered with flaws and bad points.

  More

• Chesney, the epitome of a one hit wonder.....

  FlashCallahan2013-11-23

  Buddy is an aspiring musician and has pressure to go further thanks to his Dad, and his teddy boy rocker days. When his father is sent away for a year for covering up for criminal Des it puts further strain on the family relationship. When Terry is released things get steadily harder while Buddy's career gets rosier... 1991 was a wonderful year for Hawkes, his face was everywhere, and this film was released twice in the same year. First time it was released, it was a 12 here in the UK, and it bombed. Then the single was an amazing success, and Hawkes was the apple of every young teen girl in England. Hence it got trimmed for nudity and re-released within two months. It flopped again. Why? Hawkes is a good singer, but he cannot act, and the film want made for the appeal of young girls, this is a story about a man who has seen his life go before his eyes, and didn't aspire to anything, hence him pushing his son to do what he should have done. Daltrey is brilliant and the soundtrack is brilliant and clever, describing the narrative of that precise point. But the film was advertised incorrect, and that is why it's really difficult to find. Just like Chesney Hawkes.

  More

• a great reminder of the good old days.

  michael-3942003-07-14

  I was a young boy when this film came out, but the famous theme song always stuck with me. considering all the rubbish coming out on the teen music and film market, this film was a delightful surprise. The simple story of success in the music industry for five young boys is nicely written intertwining with the martial problems of Hawkes parents played by Daltry and Duce. And the songs are great, obviously Daltry had some hand in the writing of them, listening to them reminded me of Led Zepplen. Some surprises though, if my memory is correct this film was a PG when it came out, interesting it was then when I was treated to the sight of a lovely girl revealing her bare chest to the audience. The classic Grange hill style friendship between the band members is shown as pure and trusting. it reminded me of the crap channel 4 series Boyz Unlimited. I don't understand how Hawkes didn't do more songs. The acting from Daltry is good and the chemistry between him and Hawkes is heartwarming. Plus the final twist in the ending was both perfect and beliveable. This film should be released on dvd, or at the least would be a great study guide for film and music students.

  More

• A very good movie.

  pkeets2000-03-27

  This movie never quite develops quite enough drama or humor to make it really striking, but it did hold my interest. Parts of it are quite entertaining, and it does touch on some very important issues. Roger Daltrey did an excellent job in his starring role.