I Saw the Light

Chris Hemsworth may have gotten the lead in Thor but it was Mr. Hiddleston who became the movie star.

I don't know much about Hank Williams other than his name is legendary in country music, but I do know Hiddleston and I loved his performance in this movie. He was charming,charismatic and very different from a lot of things I've seen him it (quite possibly due to his weight loss for the part). I Saw the Light if anything, is a testimony of his skills.

Elisabeth Olsen was great in the film too in her supporting role as Hank's first wife. Olsen and Hiddleston show they were great together on screen.

The movie takes some getting use to as it's not your typical biopic. It takes a low tone on how the story is told and somehow is all over the place without being all over the place. It relies greatly on Hiddleston's personality to tell you the story of Hank Williams the the movie itself is not saying much of.

I saw that a few country music fans did not like the movie and what it says about Hank Williams, and I get that. If you are a fan of Tom Hiddleston however, it's not a bad watch.

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.

When I see a film like "I Saw The Light", it reminds me of how fine the line is between being "great" and being "just okay". This film has great acting, wonderful song numbers, and tells a dramatic story…all things that it's "spiritual" successor "Walk The Line" does. However, there is one key difference (that makes all the difference): That earlier Johnny Cash flick had a lot of heart. This Hank Williams biopic? Not so much.

For a basic plot summary, "I Saw The Light" tells the story of Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston), the mega-popular but also severely troubled country music superstar. The film begins with his rushed, low-key marriage to Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen), then chronicles his rise to stardom in line with the promiscuity and alcoholism that defined his personal life.

The problem that holds back "I Saw The Light" is simple to identify, yet tough to disseminate: it lacks that "spark", or heart, that previous biopics on other topics have provided. I think the primary culprit in this case is that it doesn't include much of a personal narrative for any of the featured characters. It's about as "straight" of a biopic as one will ever see, not providing any "editorializing" (for lack of a better word) on Hank or his life. Simply put, there is no backstory given, so how can we ever really feel for the events on screen without that context?

Fortunately, the acting in this film is terrific…every bit as good as "Walk The Line", to be completely honest. Hiddleston captures the awkward skinny-ness of Hank's physical presence, while Olsen often steals the show as Audrey. Usually, acting like this can propel a film to great heights, but (as previously mentioned) there just isn't enough meaty material to create the kind of dramatic tension needed to make that happen.

The musical numbers are a treat, as Hiddleston does a remarkable job of mimicking Hank's unique sound. I like it when films like this let the actor cover the songs…so long as the performance isn't totally butchered. Hiddleston shines in that regard.

Overall, though, the lack of drama/energy in "I Saw The Light" ultimately doom it to its 3-star rating. It's a bit sad, as all the other components are firmly in place, but it just lacks that dramatic narrative that needs to drive any biopic. A film like this can't just "portray real life" (as where is the spectacle in that?). It has to tell its own story, and that is where "I Saw The Light" fell short.

"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.

I've grown up in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Home to Helen Keller and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, our little town sits shoulder to shoulder to both Sheffield, home of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and Muscle Shoals, home of FAME Recording Studios. We are not a community that is well known outside the music industry but we have seen our share of big names making comfortably quiet stops in our area to work on some of their releases. Needless to say, our area has an affinity for music and when I recently came across this film, I had to check out this flick about one of Alabama's boys.

Hank Williams truly played one of the most significant roles in country music. While his life was brief, the impact he made speaks volumes to his gift of musical creativity and delivery. The scope of what he could have achieved had his life not ended is something to think about.

While this film is wonderfully acted and filmed, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed. I thought that for a biographical movie about the demise of a musical icon this film was shallow. It seemed to only scratch the surface of Hank Williams life, music, relationships and addictions. If I had to choose what it was most focused on I would say it was mostly about his first marriage. It was still, as I said, very shallow and didn't really dig into their struggles and they didn't have many scenes together in the film.

I was disappointed that his music wasn't showcased more. There were some honky tonk scenes, some Grand Ole Opry scenes and a couple acapella moments but it was just missing something and didn't seem to do him much justice. It would've also been nice to have seen some about his childhood and how he came to realize his musical talent.

Don't get me wrong, I liked this film. Hiddleston did a great job filling this role and I'm not sure that you'd find many fans that would disagree with that. I guess I was just hoping for more than I got. It was nonetheless a decent film and worth the watch.