I Saw the Light

2015

Action / Biography / Drama / Music / Romance

38
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 37% · 157 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 37% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 8946 8.9K

country music musical biography addiction 1940s hank williams

Plot summary

Singer and songwriter Hank Williams rises to fame in the 1940s, but alcohol abuse and infidelity take a toll on his career and marriage to fellow musician Audrey Mae Williams.

Director

Marc Abraham Photo
Marc Abraham

Top cast

Elizabeth Olsen Photo
Elizabeth Olsen as Audrey Williams
Wayne Pére Photo
Wayne Pére as Toby Marshall
James DuMont Photo
James DuMont as Mayor W.B. Nolin
Tom Hiddleston Photo
Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
898.13 MB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 3 min
Seeds 3
1.87 GB
1920*800
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 3 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by zkonedog 6 / 10

Great Acting, Fun Music, But Too Little Heart

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.
Reviewed by Hellmant 6 / 10

Hiddleston, despite not being an American actor, gives an awesome performance in the film, but the movie is just OK.

'I SAW THE LIGHT': Three Stars (Out of Five)A biopic based on the life, and death, of country and blues music legend Hank Williams. The movie stars British actor Tom Hiddleston, as Williams, and it costars Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones and Bradley Whitford. It was written and directed by Marc Abraham, and it's based on the book 'Hank Williams: The Biography' (by Colin Escott, George Merritt and William MacEwen). The film underperformed at the indie Box Office, and it's gotten mostly negative reviews from critics and fans alike. I think it's about average for a biography, which means it's pretty boring stuff (despite it's involving subject matter).The movie begins when Hank Williams (Hiddleston) was already a well known country and blues singer, and songwriter. He was also already unhappily married to Audrey Sheppard Williams (Olsen), who was also his duet partner and manager. He also already had a serious alcohol and drug problem as well. The movie chronicles his rise to fame, and further descent into health and relationship troubles, up until his very young death at the age of 29.Hiddleston, despite not being an American actor (or especially from the South), gives an awesome performance in the film (he also did all of his own singing in it)! His performance is actually the highlight of the movie, but the character (and the music legend that he plays) should be a lot more fascinating. The movie recounts the details of his short life, and stardom, but it doesn't actually breath any real life into them; it's just not very involving at all (like it should be). Most biopics have this too annoying flaw though. The film is OK, especially for a Hank Williams fan, but then again, Hank Williams fans are the ones who should be the most eager for more.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/mFAp0zxR-lY
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