When I first heard that Tom Hiddleston had been signed to play country legend Hank Williams in this biopic, I thought it was one of the smartest pieces of casting in Hollywood history.
Sure, a posh English guy might be about as far removed as you could get from a Stetson-wearing redneck from Alabama, but a) Hiddleston is a very good actor and b) bears a striking resemblance to Williams.
Unfortunately that's about as far as this limp and hugely disappointing film goes in terms of getting anything right. In football terms this was an open goal, but they've somehow managed to hit the corner flag.
Hank Williams was a remarkable figure, as he rose from obscurity to become one of the greatest, most influential and much-loved singer/songwriters of the 20th Century. Born with spina bifida, his private life was a toxic mix of chronic back pain, alcoholism, pill-popping and a series of combustible relationships with women, including his domineering mother. But his music - those songs and that voice - was truly marvellous.
The cast list reads well, with the likes of Elizabeth Olsen and Bradley Whitford in key roles, but there's absolutely no spark to this film, as it rambles around Williams' career and doesn't really tell the viewer much, and offers almost zero insight into his life and music.
On the plus side, Hilldleston is very impressive, as he almost morphs into Hank Williams. Apparently, his musical performances in I Saw the Light were all filmed live. If so, the man is wasted in film and should form a band immediately. Hank Hiddleston has a bit of a ring to it.
Olsen and Whitford - as Mrs Williams number one and music publisher Fred Rose - also do their best, but the poor script and flat direction make this is a bog-standard biopic that lacks even the meekest of punches.
Hank Williams was a musical colossus and his story is remarkable and fascinating. But you wouldn't think so from this dull and largely charmless film. What a shame.
John Byrne
