I Saw the Light (2016)

People are voting emotionally.

Boring

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I am not a country music fan and must admit I would never have even known about this movie if I hadn't gone down the YouTube rabbit hole about Tom Hiddleston. When I saw his a capella performance of Your Cheatin' Heart on YouTube, which is the opening scene of the movie, I was blown away. Because of that, I watched the movie. Turns out, I'm very glad I did. I had no idea of the volatile and tempestuous life of Hank Williams, nor of how much of an impact he had on musicians who followed him. An artist tormented by physical pain and substance abuse is hardly a new story, but Tom Hiddleston did a masterful job of conveying how that torment influenced Williams' music. Hiddleston is taller, better looking, and (heresy, I know) possibly even a better singer than Hank Williams, but no one could have been more convincing. This movie deserves a lot more attention than it got upon release. I highly recommend it.

Tom Hiddelston portrays Hank Sr spot on. He had the difficult task of singing like the most iconic voice in country music history,in my opinion, Hank Williams and was spot on. The other movie based on Hank that I have seen Your Cheatin Heart(1964) was way more lame and inaccurate than this one. The singing in that one was done by Hank Williams Jr and badly lip synced by George Hamilton. I was raised on Hank Williams music by my father and I believe he would have enjoyed this portrayal. And he told me and I have heard Audrey Williams sing. Elizabeth Olsen singing was much better than Audrey's, just saying. Tom did an excellent job of playing this role. Many people think this movie was awful, but they need to see Your Cheatin Heart (1964) and they will really appreciate this movie. Mr. Hiddelston shouldn't be dismissed because he plays Loki in MCU. He has talent and I believe many should give this movie another chance.

I really wanted to like this movie... I wanted it to be a huge breakout solo hit for Tom Hiddleston, but it just wasn't that great. The writing seemed a bit cheesy and it took a while to get moving and that didn't happen until pretty far in, about the time his back problem was finally explained. From there on out, his drinking becomes obvious, but there is still too much left unmentioned about his marriage and what lead him to such destructive behavior. Hank Williams has been gone for a long time... I think we needed more of a reminder about who he was and what he went through. The music is great... there is talent in the film and you can tell that Tom Hiddleston put a lot of work into it, but it just doesn't come together. I guess in the end there was just too much left unexplained.

I came away from this with the same reaction I have to so many biopics: the best way to know an artist his through his or her work.Tom Hiddleston gives a credible performance, but it seemed just that-- a performance. It lacked any spark of charisma to make me care for Williams with any emotional depth. Curious that an English actor would take on this role, even to the extent of singing. The fact of having Hiddleston sing instead of using actual Williams recordings was a gamble that did not pay off for me. When Hiddleston sings "Cold, Cold Heart" very early on his cover was off just enough to be jarring to me. You can teach a dog to walk on its hind legs, but what you still have is a dog walking on its hind legs.The movie spends a lot of time on Willims' stormy relationship with his first wife Audrey--the first scene with them has them being married. So, we jump in when Williams was 21, at a time that precluded any discussion of Willaims' youth. Seeing what the foundation was for the talent that was to come would have been of interest. Williams led a hectic life and I wish this movie could have been edited better to allow for guiding us through the maelstrom with better clarity.There was a dichotomy between what we see of Williams' life and the lyrics of his songs. Where did deeply sensitive lyrics like,----------I tried so hard, my dear, to show that you're my every dreamYet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart?------------come from? On the up side, this movie reminded me of what a wonderful songwriter Williams was, how in such a short life he gave us so many memorable songs.Maybe what makes an artist tick must always remain a mystery, but I did not get too close to what made Williams' tick from this movie.