I SAW THE LIGHT

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford

Writer: Marc Abraham

Director: Marc Abraham

The brief, troubled life of singer/songwriter Hank Williams (played by an authentically slim Hiddleston) is chronicled in writer/director Marc Abraham's restrained biopic. Playing to a small audience in a very early morning slot on a local radio show Williams is sure he's destined for bigger and better things, such as appearing at the Grand Ole Opry, but his rise to fame is blighted by relationship problems and health issues.

If you're going to take on the story of Hank Williams then you'd better make damned sure the musical performances are up to scratch and Hiddleston gives us impressive, extremely enjoyable renditions of classic tunes that will make you wish the movie had crammed in more of them. It's a reminder of just how brilliant Williams' compositions were and I'm probably not the only person who watched this and then had Hey Good Lookin' going round their head for the rest of the day.

There's no doubt that the soundtrack is nothing short of amazing and if the rest of the movie had been so engaging I'd have been marking this one as a classic in the making, As it is, the generally low-key approach is at once refreshing and frustrating. It's good to see that the fiery relationship between Williams and wife Audrey (Olsen) is portrayed mostly via pithy, barbed, well-written dialogue rather than screaming matches and thrown crockery but personally I felt that the drama was a little too underplayed for its own good.

Still, there's much to enjoy in the quality of the performances. Hiddleston has the look down pat and the acting chops to match so you won't be wondering why Loki from the Thor and Avengers movies is singing Your Cheatin' Heart. Olsen is terrific so you won't be wondering why Scarlet Witch from that Avengers movie is shacked up with that guy who looks a bit Loki from the Thor and Avengers movies. Cherry Jones is imposing as Hank's formidable mother and Bradley Whitford makes the most of a smaller but significant role as music publisher and friend Fred Rose.

Overall, then, a curate's egg of a movie. The musical numbers are worth the price of admission but the film as a whole left me feeling somehow unsatisfied. There are several effective moments along the way but ultimately it's overlong and lacking the spark to truly captivate. And that's not me playing the steel guitar, as has been suggested elsewhere.