I Saw the Light (2015) Online

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.

"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'm only 25 years old, but I have almost all of Hank's music and have read multiple books in high school about him (including "Hank Williams: The Biography" by Colin Escott). So needless to say, I had high hopes for this movie.

I feel like my high hopes were mostly met. I thought the movie did a very good job of laying out Hank's life and showing his stardom as well as struggles. I didn't like as much that it was rated R vs a PG-13 for "Walk the Line", but then again, anyone who has studied Hank knows that his life was rough and he wasn't candy-coated by any means.

I think Tom Hiddleston does a very good job as Hank, though maybe not QUITE as spot on as I would've liked. But when a big movie comes out about probably my biggest musical artist of all-time, I won't complain. From what I've read, Mr. Hiddleston was basically trained to be as spot-on as possible, and when I saw the movie, he had me believing it was Hank. Elizabeth Olsen did a very good job as Audrey as well.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the movie and am anticipating any special edition releases when it comes out on DVD in a few months. Of course, there were moments of sadness especially toward the end, but there were also moments of happiness and (at least for me) a few chuckles. Although I wouldn't rank this as high as "Walk the Line" in my list of biopics, it was definitely worth the price of admission to me and I would totally see it again if given the opportunity.

The best part about going into a film with low expectations is being pleasantly surprised. "I Saw the Light" is Marc Abraham's biopic about country music legend, Hank Williams, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen as Williams' first wife, Audrey. I am no fan of country music, but I'll be honest, I am a big fan of Tom Hiddleston.

Despite living a very short life (Williams died when he was only 29), Williams managed to write and release dozens of hit singles and leave an everlasting mark on the history of music. "I Saw the Light" attempts to capture this short, but brightly burning star, in his entirety and in doing so, manages to miss on most everything. There is no denying that both Hiddleston and Olsen give remarkably nuanced performances and Hiddleston's transformation from English gentleman to smalltown Southern boy is nothing short of brilliant, but sadly not even their acting can make up for a poorly conceived and executed story. The story, while apparently linear, jumps from place to place, with little explanation, thus leaving the audience to try and fill in the missing pieces, which is an impossible task for those who do not know Hank Williams' life.

"I Saw the Light" is a flawed film from the structure, to the script, with some truly cringe worthy lines, to some terrible use of hand held cameras, yet I still enjoyed myself. Knowing that it was not a great film, I was able to just focus on what were Oscar worthy performances by both Hiddleston and Olsen. I left with little understanding of Hank Williams, but perhaps a better appreciation of his music. It was a fine way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. If you like Olsen or Hiddleston, it is worth seeing, otherwise wait for streaming or other media.

Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) marries recently divorced single mom Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen) in 1944 in an Alabama gas station. He's a hard drinking country singer with some small success. She starts singing with him despite objections from the band and his mother (Cherry Jones). Audrey's constant calling gets Fred Rose (Bradley Whitford) to sign them. They stop Audrey's singing as Hank strives to perform in the Opry. His constant back pains leading to alcohol and pain killer use is finally diagnosed as chronic spina bifida occulta. After his divorce from Audrey, he has a brief affair with Bobbi Jett resulting in a daughter. He meets teenager Billie Jean Jones (Maddie Hasson) and later marries her. He would die on January 1, 1953.

There is nothing substantive here. One would be better off to listen to Hank Williams music while watching a documentary about his life. It's very thin and I'm not talking about Hiddleston's physicality. One rarely gets a sense of the man or his marriage. There is no tension. There is no sense of his life or his work. His struggle with his back and alcohol is the obvious path but the movie doesn't elevate his pain. This is a waste of perfectly good talents. I laid all the blame on Marc Abraham who is more a producer than a writer or director.

Greetings again from the darkness. Most Hollywood musical biopics follow a similar and predictable structure, which is why Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story was so easily able to parody the genre. Of course, the legendary singer/songwriter Hank Williams deserves more than predictable storytelling … but unfortunately, that's exactly what he gets here.

Tom Hiddleston delivers a spot on physical impersonation of Hank – right down to the slightly hunched over (due to Spina Bifida Occulta) posture and bouncy onstage waggle. Yes, the very British Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki in The Avengers and Thor movies, has managed to capture the presence of one of the all-time great Country and Western icons. Mr. Hiddleston worked on the beloved songs with Rodney Crowell and delivers some very nice singing - so nice in fact that the singing is distracting and misleading. Hank Williams sang his songs in angst … a tortured soul seemingly without choice in his need to share his art. No one could be expected to perform with that emotion, and the void is obvious.

As source material, director Marc Abraham (Flash of Genius, 2008) utilizes "Hank Williams: The Biography" co-written by George Merritt, Colin Escott, and William MacEwen. It may be the least creative title possible for a biography, and the movie correlates perfectly. We track Hank's early days as a struggling singer whose dream is to someday perform on the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry, to his gas station marriage to Audrey May (Elizabeth Olsen), through his alcoholism, drug use, womanizing, superstardom, fall from grace, and ultimately tragic death at the age of 29.

Despite the nature of Williams' short life, the film only skims the surface and rarely digs too deeply. The steady stream of women/wives is difficult to track … perhaps that's the point. Audrey is the only one who gets much screen time and Ms. Olsen plays her as an ambitious shrew who comes across as impossible to like and as unwilling to work at the relationship. A staggering number of Hank Williams songs are embedded as merely interludes separating scenes of misery for all involved … especially Hank, who seems to find little joy in life.

We've all seen the destruction that fame often leads to, and when combined with Hank's painful back disorder and relentless alcoholism, it's little wonder his body simply surrendered at such an early age. The movie just seems a bit too high-gloss for such a tortured soul, and despite the best efforts of Tom Hiddleston, the film is not worthy of someone who left the musical legacy of Hank Williams.

I'm not a movie critic, just an ordinary person who loves sitting in a dark theater and letting the magic take over. I Saw The Light was pure magic. Tom Huddleston, whom I'd never heard of before, was perfect for the role of Hank Williams. He took me back in time and let me see the pain and suffering the icon faced daily. Hank's was a tortured soul and maybe that contributed to his greatness. Huddleston captured that and pulled back the curtain, letting us see inside the man. I think Huddleston did an excellent job with not only the songs (his voice was flawless) but with the exact mannerisms and nuances of Hank Williams. I thank him for doing such an awesome job and for a short time whisked me back so I could once again enjoy the icon's music. It was difficult to keep my feet still because I wanted to get up and dance. This was a great movie and I hope to see Tom Huddleston in other roles.

I saw the movie last fall, just a few weeks prior to the original release date. I was happy with the choice of Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams. He had the physical look to carry it off and I know he has the talent. I just wish I could say the same with the script.

This story seems to focus on his first marriage and that relationship. Out of everything Hank Williams did, this is what they focus on? Other than the music, they barely touched on everything that made him such a colorful character. It didn't help that there was little chemistry between two lead characters. Lifetime movies have better stories and chemistry.

Tom Hiddleston did a nice job with his singing but that isn't worth watching this movie. Hopefully, this will get buried and someone with more knowledge of Hank Williams can bring more deserving movie to the screen.

I've got to hand it to director Mark Abraham. All the things he got right in "I Saw The Light" were far more impactful than things he missed. After reading other reviews I thought I was going to come away from the movie unsatisfied, but instead it was the opposite.

I really like that this movie was a more subdued and intimate look at Hank Williams. It's not fast paced or a high frequency drama. It's an intimate peak into the personal side of Hank during the last 5-6 years of his life with singing performances speckled throughout. The acting performances are fantastic especially Tom Hiddleston who transforms himself into Hank beautifully and does a fine job singing Hank's songs.

Many of the complaints of the film were from people who wanted to see the historical Hank Williams film. The whole boilerplate biopic from childhood to all the milestones of his rise to stardom and the impact he had on American music. People wanted to know why Hank was the way he was and did the things he did. Yet conflicted, talented artists tend to always defy being wrapped up into nice, little 120 minute boxes with definitive explanations supplied.

With that in mind Abraham did the next best thing and what was always his intention, created and showed a personal experience of Hank. To have the audience feel what it was like to be in his life. In that endeavor the director got it right many times over. By casting Hiddleston to play such a complex and conflicted person, it humanizes Hank and makes him relatable. Tom's performance allows people to have an endearing empathy and compassion for Hank and see this troubled cultural hero from a personal perspective.

Although there's a lot the director left out or only made reference to, the main problem with the film is in the weaving of all the many relationships and chapters of Hank's tumultuous life into a cohesive harmony. Still "I Saw The Light" delivers an insightful and engaging experience of the great country star that we have never seen before and with a masterly produced soundtrack that sets the tone and carries you through this little beauty of a film.

"A man sings a sad song he knows is sad." Hank Williams (Hiddleston) is a country music legend. He has sung and written some of the best song in this and any genre. He also had some demons that destroyed him. Pain and hurt that he felt and caused led to his classic body of work, and ultimately his untimely death. This is a very hard movie to review. After the huge success of Ray and Walk The Line it is a tall order to live up to those two. I wondered why this didn't get a big release, especially considering the Avengers connection. After watching this I can see why. The acting is great. Hiddleston embodies Hank and even does his own singing. Olsen does a spot on job as Audrey and portraying the struggles she went through. The music and performances are a treat to watch. All that said, the movie itself came off as flat and a little uninspired. It was missing something that the other two had and it ultimately ended up hurting the movie and making this a huge disappointment, for me at least. Overall, great acting could not overcome the bad writing. Worth seeing, but temper your expectations. I sadly give this a B-.

"I Saw the Light" is the latest film about the much-troubled country music singer/song writer, Hank Williams. British actor Tom Hiddleston landed the lead role, and I thought he was fantastic. Yes, the script did not lend itself to being an autobiography, so if this is what the viewer wants, they need to look further. It is leaps and bounds better than the 1964 mess "Your Cheatin' Heart," starring George Hamilton.

I am puzzled by the hammering of this movie by other critics. Many have said it only focused on a narrow part of Williams' life, i.e. he was an alcoholic, skirt-chasing hound dog. Well guys...like it or not, he WAS that. I guarantee you if the film had come across all s*its and giggles, the critics would have complained because the movie did not really tell what the real Hank Williams was like-- inevitably a no win situation.

I have great admiration and respect for ANY actor who does his/her own singing, especially when they are portraying a legend in the music industry. I mean look what "Coal Miner's Daughter" did for Sissy Spacek. I won't go so far as to say Hiddleston's was as good as Sissy's, but it was pretty darn close. There were also some aspects of Williams' life that I never knew about. I did not know he had spina bifeda, nor how he discovered that particular ailment.

"I Saw the Light" isn't a super movie, but it is better all way around than most other pieces of crap that are in release right now. It is a close call for me, but I do recommend it. The film is rated "R" for language, brief nudity, and scenes of hinted drug use. It's worth viewing for the great music, if nothing else.

Growing up I was more familiar with Hank Williams Jr. and his music still I heard stories about the life and hard times of his legendary dad Hank Sr. and how that his life was short and tragic. With this film a biography typed called "I Saw the Light"(a hit Williams song)it's very informative and interesting as it shows the rise and complex life of a man who battled the bottle and women which all lead to his tragic young end.

Tom Hiddleston is in top form as the country legend he plays Hank to near perfection from his accent to his posture and movements and actually does a pretty good job singing Hank Williams songs. The film just really is a chapter by chapter turn in the life of the country western music legend showing his rise to fame sadly the fame was mixed with man problems like failed marriages and many different lady friends and Hank had plenty of kids with different mothers as they gave birth to them out of wedlock. And his biggest inner personal demons was his battle with the bottle, it's clear the sorrow and sadness of Hank's short life was fueled by alcohol and whiskey. Overall well done film that shed light on the tragic life of a young legend.

Hank Williams was one of those talents who just seem to come along ever so often from "out of nowhere" and becomes a legend in his own time. Hank was a candle that burnt out quickly but only leaving behind great music, which was later recorded by just about every big name in the music business of the sixties and seventies, anyway.

I am a sucker for true stories and "time pieces" so this was a film I wanted to see as soon as I saw an advert for it, even though I did not like country western in the days Mr Williams was still alive. Hank Williams is however a major reason I started listening to country western, and the lead actor Tim Hiddleston looks like Hank and portrays him as accurately as I suspect anybody could without making him look "cardboard".

The music is played throughout the film and the scenery was well researched. (Don't look for any out of era vehicles, I don't think you will find any.)

The film is best for an adult crowd for the language used in the film, but if you can see this for the great film I think it is, you will enjoy it.

If this film is not Oscar material...nothing is of late.

I Saw The Light is a another attempt by Hollywood to exploit the legacy - sorry, dramatize the life of the iconic country singer. Thing is, Hank Williams' life was as full of drama, tragedy and redemption as anyone you could invent. So how is it they make yet another boring Hank Williams movie? Hank Williams - The Soap Opera.

I'm a HW fan - not because he was a country star but because he was a great songwriter, as any songwriter worth their salt will tell you. I've seen all the HW movies and plays - not hard, there aren't many - and the ones that fail his musical legacy worst are the ones that show HW as a depressed, cantankerous, drunken hick from the sticks without having original, or close-to-original music that lets you forgive him all of that. It's because his music was so genuine, and a lot of it so good, that we see past the miserable, drunken hick to the sensitive man. Get the music wrong and you're left with a royal P.I.T.A.

ISTL shows what drunks turn to in the end, but HW was more than that. A talented, intelligent, very insecure man - a Buddy Holly with issues - who was ruthlessly exploited by everyone - his mother, his managers, his wives, his doctors and now, the movie industry.

And he let himself be exploited, past caring by the age of 29. That's what is interesting about him - not his decline, but the contrast of a man who could perfectly express common human feelings, but couldn't say 'no' to people (both sexes) who wanted to manage and manipulate him, and who medicated himself with the bottle on top of what his quack gave him for what's thought to be spina bifida. Keith Richards lifestyle, Billy Graham conscience.

In a film about a musician, Tom Hiddleston delivers a just-about-competent musical performance. Not saying he can't act, this is just a Justin Timberlake version of one of the most soulful and expressive voices in a narrow genre. So unless you know HW's music in you head, it's another dud.

If you're still interested in HW, keep an eye out for such by Simon W Donaldson, a fine (tall, thin) Scottish actor whose Hank Williams IS actually eerily accurate (apart from the yodel) and deeply perceptive. No doubt Simon does other stuff. Hiddleston as Bond? Don't make me laugh - maybe he'll sing the theme song too (let's hope not).

PS In a way, the inability of Hollywood to turn Hank Williams into a merchandising franchise is a good thing - the authenticity of HW's life and unique sound - that transcends its time and genre - is incompatible with the complete falsity of the modern marketing system.

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.

Frustrating. That is how I would describe this unfocused and sadly unengaging biopic of legendary country singer Hank Williams, the man responsible for such memorable ditties as What You Got Cooking and Cold Cold Heart.

At one time or another spoken about as being a likely contender at the Academy Awards, Marc Abraham's film that features an outstanding and deservedly acknowledged performance from British superstar Tom Hiddleston, I Saw the Light became a true non-event upon release around the world, making a paltry $1.6 million at the worldwide box office and a fate even worse here in Australia where it has been dumped straight onto home release without even the slightest bit of fanfare around, which is such a shame considering the material and tools at Abraham's disposal.

William's story from that centres on an incredible rise to fame from a relatively sad upbringing is completely mishandled by Abraham with the film rarely, if ever, offering up much lead in or background to Williams bar an impressive meltdown at a music festival where Williams addresses the crowd under extreme duress. It's nigh on infuriating that we're never really allowed inside this talented performers mindset or history and makes the film feel as though it's at arm's length away at all times.

This feeling of disconnect can be laid almost entirely to blame on Abraham as Hiddleston who has still perhaps been at his best as Loki in The Avengers before this film rather than the over praised Only Lovers Left Alive, The Deep Blue Sea and the overrated BBC series The Night Manager makes this role his own from the word go.

As the camera slowly lingers in towards Hiddleston performing an impressive instrument free rendition (Hiddleston performs all his own songs here as well as playing the guitar) of hit William's song Cold Cold Heart to an intently concentrating audience, you forget that you're watching the British actor and feel as though you're instead witnessing the complete re-embodying of Williams. It's a turn that deserves a much better movie even if he gets solid support from Elizabeth Olsen as William's long suffering love Audrey.

I Saw the Light is a real missed opportunity to not only tell the story of Williams but give Hiddleston the film his performance deserved and while the die-hard fans of Williams may find this film better than us Williams outsiders, it would be very hard to find many other reasons to watch this soulless film other than to see Hiddleston deliver the acting turn of his career so far.

2 electric garage door buttons out of 5

Country singer and songwriter Hank Willims achieves success, but has ongoing battles with alcoholism, substance abuse, womanising, his wife, and disease.

Tom Hiddleston stars as Williams, and in him lies the film's main strength and also weakness. It is a good performance, with Hiddleston showing considerable musical chops (the number against which the opening titles are shown is simply stunning), but at its heart is Hiddleston's innate likability. Willims had to be likable on stage and on radio, but I strongly suspect – and the events of the film bear it out – that he wasn't that likable when out of the public eye, yet he always seems likable here, whether drunk, womanising or generally being a bad husband. For that reason, I'm not sure that we saw a fair portrait of the artist.

The period detail is good, the music is presented well, and Elizabeth Olsen as wife Audrey is (as usual) wonderful. There were times when the dialogue was either lost in the mix or incomprehensible to a non-Southerner, but not to the extent that I couldn't follow it.

It's an enjoyable film (especially if you don't know much about Williams, as I didn't), but it may not be as true as one might wish.

I think if you're going to create a bio-pic, even if you can't fit everything in it, you should include at least a story line that's poignant, or makes sense. I don't know much about Hank Williams, but I fear there was a lot more to him than was presented in this movie.

What I really didn't like about the film was the lack of dramatic scenes between the characters. Most of the time, Hank, his wives and producers just sneer at each other and speak with venom of things we as an audience don't quite understand. It's not fully explained why a character is so angry, and they just come off as being really hateful.

The writing was a bit lazy, focusing more on the domestic dramas of the main characters rather than the artistry of main character.

On the other hand, the acting was splendid. Tom Hiddleston showed everyone that an Englishman could play an all out southern country singer - and he really knocks it out of the park. Elisabeth Olson is of course brilliant as Audrey Williams as well.

Had the film gotten a better script and director, I think it would have been a lot more interesting and enjoyable.

I watched this movie yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It is hard to turn your eyes away from the screen. I had to remind myself that I was not watching the real Hank Williams...Hiddleston is that good in the part. His movements as he sang were just like Hank. He sounded good, too. Hard to believe he was actually singing and talking like Hank...and Tom is a Brit. I also liked the slower pace of the movie...gave me a chance to feel Hank's back pain, love, loss, alcoholism. The 40s-50s time period was a treat to watch along with all the old recording equipment. I especially enjoyed seeing the vintage kitchen...even had the long sink/counter that people would take with them when they moved in those days. After I watched this movie, I got out my old Hank albums and listened again. So good and gone way too soon.

Hiddleston couldn't play a chord if His life depended on it, and the sound editors of this movie left the Auto Tune software on "11" for the entire flick! So if the actor playing Hank .. can't sing or play guitar - what is the point?

I have read the Colin Escott book that the movie is "supposedly" based on! And every other biography of "Hank"! Hank had his issues, but "everyone" who came in contact with him became his friend! Why? Because Hank could charm the pants off anyone, and was a good friend! This movie shows none of that! Hank as portrayed in this biopic is someone who We don't even care about! Why care about Hank as Hiddleston plays him? This picture portrays Hank as a miserable, helpless person. Although Hank was in constant pain, everyone who met hank "in real life" loved him.

No-one loves the Hank shown in this movie!

There are many ways to make a biographical motion picture, or biopic, but most of the possibilities seem to line up with one of three basic approaches. (1) Go into depth regarding the subject's character by focusing on one or a very few key incidents in the person's life, which we saw in "Hitchcock" (2012), "Lincoln" (2012), "Selma" (2014), "Steve Jobs" (2015) and "The Revenant" (2015). (2) Tell the part of story that makes him or her most compelling by concentrating on a relatively narrow period in his or her life, as with "42" (2013) "American Sniper" (2014), "The Danish Girl" (2015), "Trumbo" (2015) and "Race" (2016). (3) Portray the individual's life story by carefully selecting a limited number of incidents or time periods that illustrate the entire arc of that person's life, as in "J. Edgar" (2011), "The Iron Lady" (2012), "Lee Daniel's The Butler" (2013), "The Imitation Game" (2014) and "Pawn Sacrifice" (2015). One 2016 biopic, "I Saw the Light" (R, 2:03), takes approach #2, telling the story of Hank Williams in his 20s.

A slimmed-down Tom Hiddleston plays the legendary country singer during the period from December 15, 1944 until January 1, 1953. It's during these years that he attained major success, enjoyed it for a while and then squandered it. This particular stretch of time also matches almost exactly with his marriage to wannabe country singer, Audrey Williams (Elizabeth Olsen). As Hank was becoming more popular and more famous, Audrey insisted on singing duets with Hank, both on the radio and on stage, in spite of her lack of discernible talent. This ongoing problem caused stress between Hank and his band, "The Drifting Cowboys", and between Hank and Audrey. Hank's problems were also constantly exacerbated by his judgmental and meddling mother and erstwhile manager, Lilli (Cherry Jones). Other aspects of Williams' family life that we see include his relationship with his kids, especially Hank Jr.

Of course, this movie is mainly about Hank Williams' success and influence as a musician. Part of that story is told through simulated interview clips with record producer Fred Rose (Bradley Whitford), who also appears in several scenes during Williams' rise to fame. The film gives indications of his increasing popularity and we hear at least part of Williams' most popular songs. Ongoing themes include his hard-won (and later, tumultuous) relationship with the Grand Ole Opry, along with the chronic back pain, drug abuse, alcoholism and womanizing which held him back from even greater heights within the country music community – and greater peace and happiness in his life. The film shows Williams for who he was, warts and all, but sheds precious little light on the inspiration for his music, which should have been the film's main purpose. You would think that a movie called "I Saw the Light" would make some things clearer – including William's deep Christian faith which led him to write the film's title song.

"I Saw the Light" feels incomplete, not because of the relatively narrow period of Williams' life that the filmmakers chose to highlight, but because what is shown is simply underdeveloped. Movie Fans who are only marginally familiar with Hank Williams will learn a lot and probably enjoy seeing the interesting story of his time as a famous country singer unfold on screen. Unfortunately, those people will probably end the movie frustrated with the questions the film raises, while Hank Williams fans will likely be dissatisfied by the obvious gaps in the story. Steven Spielberg could get away with that in "Lincoln", but Hank Williams' story isn't quite as well-known as that of our 16th President. Key events and references in writer-director Marc Abraham's script go unexplained ("Louisiana Stampede"?) and his direction doesn't let us see the full range of emotions that must have accompanied some of the situations in this film.

In a biopic, quality performances are especially crucial. Hiddleston and Olsen both do strong work, but the favorable comparison between Hiddleston's Williams and Sissy Spacek's Loretta Lynn in 1980's "Coal Miner's Daughter" is a stretch. Hiddleston does his own singing, which is serviceable, but it has been publicly criticized by some, including Hank Williams III. Olsen's role fits her like a glove and Hiddleston seems very comfortable in his role, but can't quite muster the deep-seated southern sensibility which typified the real Hank Williams. Sadly, with an under-written script, inconsistent direction and solid, but unremarkable acting all Movie Fans have here is an average biopic of a flawed but exceptional man. "B-"

When a movie has its release date changed, that's almost never a good sign. It shows the studio has no faith in the movie. And so this happened with "I Saw the Light," which was supposed to be released in November to prime it for upcoming awards shows such as the Oscars and Golden Globes. After a tepid opening at the Toronto Film Festival in Sept. 2015, the film was moved out of the awards season and into the spring. That is because the movie is just not that good. It's all about the scandals of Hank Williams life and it barely skims who he was as an artist. We see him indulging in womanizing, drinking, and pill popping. We see his health problems and him showing up late or not all for shows and then being fired from the Opry. But how did he develop as a singer and song writer? What was it that drove his creative process? How did he inspire future generations of singers years after his death? I don't really know from watching this film. Hiddleston is convincing as a Southerner and does a good job doing his own singing. Cherry Jones gives a strong performance as his mother. But they can't save this slow paced, meandering film. A better film can be made about this great artist.

Tedious, slow, too much mumbling. I couldn't understand a word, to be honest, except when Tom H. sang. Only worth watching for him, the hats and the outfits. Subtitles would have helped. There were only about a dozen other punters watching and half of them fell asleep (including me at some point). There were a couple of very moving bits, especially when Hank's death was announced and I can't remember the other bit. I suppose the period detail was authentic but I wouldn't know anything about the grand ole opry, living in the UK as I do. I liked the songs though, as I knew the popular ones. Had a nice new forest ice cream, which is always good and only £1.50 ????

I SAW THE LIGHT is a performance-driven biopic. Tom Hiddleston transformed himself into the late great Hank Williams, and Elizabeth Olsen holds her ground, these two amazing talents burn the screen with such passion and ferocity. The film however is just textbook biopic, nothing that you haven't already seen before. It's well-intentioned but at the end of the day, Marc Abraham's adaption is uninspired.

I SAW THE LIGHT essentially is the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, one all-time greats in American music. Starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen, I SAW THE LIGHT chronicles Hank's rise to fame which has tragic effect on his health and personal life.

Please keep in mind that I didn't grow up a fan of country music, I don't hate it, I appreciate it but I don't have huge country music encyclopedia to discern on whether or not Tom Hiddleston's performance as Hank Williams is accurate. Those of you who are fans of country and specifically fans of Hank Williams can make that comparison and can better judge Hiddleston in terms of his singing skills, if he talks and walks like Hank, so on and so forth. But when I said earlier that Hiddleston transformed is that you really don't see Hiddleston up there on the screen, at least I didn't. And for an outsider, a British to embody; to capture the essence of one of this country's legends, that's something that warrants some degree of respect. Part of what makes I SAW THE LIGHT interesting is the tumultuous and sometimes hostile relationship between Hank (Tom Hiddleston) and Audrey Williams (Elizabeth Olsen). When you have two people, each of whom thinks that they should be the bigger star, when two egos collide, it makes for a compelling drama.

The story however is not well-structured, it constantly cuts way too quickly from one scene to the next, it comes across as impatient. And although it's not a from the cradle to the grave type biopic, it focuses only on a few years of Hank's life till his downfall, I SAW THE LIGHT is really nothing new, we've seen this before. Superstars drinking, doing drugs, cheating on their spouses, we've seen what fame does to characters on screen. We've seen "Walk The Line" and others like it, and so I SAW THE LIGHT is more about Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen, that's the big draw, the main attraction.

I loved this movie and was very moved by Tom Hiddleston's performance which I thought was brilliant. I have nothing against Shreveport, but I always prefer movies filmed in their actual locations. So I would have liked it better if the movie had been filmed in Alabama and Tennessee - but I can let that go. I thought the female roles were well done. My only real disappointment with this film is the truncated ending. We have Hank Williams leaving in his blue Cadillac convertible from Montgomery and then we skip to Canton, Ohio and his death announcement. I wish we could have seen something of those two days. I've always been suspicious of the cause of death - heart failure is very unusual for a 29-year-old. Still, this is a very see-able film and I think the IMDb rating of 5.7 is too low for such a good film. Dan Finley