The music biopic is a genre that comes pre-loaded with its
own set of clichés: every musician with a life worth documenting was a tortured
genius who faced marital strife, struggled with sobriety, and lived in a way
that conveniently lends itself to a three act structure.
Then the comedy “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” was released
in 2007 and so thoroughly exploded the formula that any filmmaker foolish
enough to tiptoe into the genre was forced to forge a new path, lest they be
compared unfavorably to a film in which John C. Reilly’s gifted country music
singer struggles to overcome the trauma and shame of accidentally slicing his
younger brother in half with a machete. (“The wrong kid died!”)
The influence of “Walk Hard” — at least in part — resulted in
a number of innovative entries to the genre in recent years, from “Love &
Mercy” and “Get On Up” to Don Cheadle’s upcoming
“Miles Ahead.” But now director Marc Abraham sets us back, diving headlong into
the clichés with “I Saw the Light,” his strictly by-the-numbers dramatization
of the life of country music icon Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston).
Beginning with Williams already an established singer with
life-long dreams of playing the Grand Ole Opry, the narrative takes us through
his struggles with substance abuse, addiction, and philandering, up until his early
death at the age of 29. Much time is spent on Williams’s volatile marriage to
his first wife, Audrey (an excellent Elizabeth Olsen), an aspiring singer
regretfully lacking Williams’ talent. And along the way, we get a generous helping
of musical performances and faux black-and-white, documentary-style interviews
with producer Fred Rose (Bradley Whitford) and
various other behind-the-scenes players to fill in any gaps.
It’s the Wikipedia approach to chronicling a life, with the
script — written by Abraham and based on Colin Escott’s biography — touching on
each major event before swiftly moving on to the next key incident. The method
makes for an often dull, unfocused snapshot of what should be a compelling
figure. Abraham dutifully doles out frequent performances of Williams’ greatest
hits, but as enjoyable as these numbers are (with Hiddleston
doing all of his own singing), we’re deprived of any sense of context for the
songs.
Nothing in the film offers much insight into Williams as a
man; we never learn what’s truly driving him. It’s a real shame since Hiddleston’s performance is actually quite good, bringing
both an intensity and a sense of empathy to the role even when the script
leaves him stranded. In a post “Walk Hard” world, any music biopic has to bring
something more to the table, but as a portrait of a troubled musical genius, “I
Saw the Light” is less than illuminating.
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2016.
