I Saw the Light (2016)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: I Saw the Light boasts a terrifically talented cast, but their performances aren't enough to enliven an unfocused biopic that never comes close to capturing its subject's timeless appeal.
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Cast
as Hank Williams
as Audrey Mae Williams
as Lillie Williams
as Fred Rose
as James Dolan
as Billie Jean
as Bobbie Jett
as Dore Schary
as WB Nowlin
as Solemn Singer
as Cliff Rogers
as Hank's Lawyer
as Back Pain Doctor
as Performer/Hotel Bar Patron
as Oscar Davis
as Concert Attendant
as Toby Marshall
as Roadhouse Patron
as Ellie
as Concert Attendee
as Bar Woman
as Campbell
as Jerry Rivers
as Pedestrian
as StageHand Supervisor
as Charles Carr
as Hank Snow
as Frank Walker
as Concert Goer
as Jim Denny
as Cow Coliseum Fresh Face
as Howard Pill
as Bar Waitress
as Red Foley
as Ryman Auditorium/Cow Coliseum Gal
as Musician
as Mrs. Jones
as Sammy Pruett
as Sebie Smith
as Concert Goer
as Mr. Jones
as Rays Party Guest/Concert Attendee
as Performer
as Dore Schary's Secretary
as Harold (Audio Guy)
as Concert Goer
as Faron Young
as Performer
as Hank Williams Song Singer
as Concert Goer
as Ryman Performer
as Jud Collins
as Elonzo Huble 'Lon' Williams
as MGM Pedestrian
as Police Officer
as Ronald
as Banker
as Press Photographer
as Promoter Lebeau
as Boyette
as Hospital Nurse/MGM Pedestrian
as CBS Doorman
as Sonny Jones
as MGM Employee
as Cow Coliseum Promoter
as Lycrecia, Age 9
as Doctor
as Female Passerby
as Miss Warwick
as Dr. Clayton ER Doctor
as Faron Young
as Opry Attendee
as Concert Attendee
as Concert Attendee
as Front Row Concert Girl
as Gas Station Attendant
as Roy Acuff
as Ray Price (as Von Cleve Lewis)
as Kitty Wells
as Patron
as Hank Williams Jr.
as Pensacola Woman
as Ray's Party Goer
as Ray Price's Wife
as Shreveport Nurse
as Sally
as Drifting Cowboys Family
as Concert Goer
as Audrey's Friend (as Meredith Charron)
as Ryman Auditorium Concert Attendee
as Mrs. Ragland
as Doctor/House Call
as WSM DJ
as Roadhouse/Festival Patron
as Band Member
as Sickly Patient/Hanks Roommate
as Woman with Audrey
News & Interviews for I Saw the Light
Critic Reviews for I Saw the Light
All Critics (148) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (27) | Rotten (121)
I Saw the Light doesn't just fail to illuminate Williams' complicated life and his prodigious talent; it can't even capture the dark corners of a man with more than enough to peer into.
Sadly, the movie is a snooze, but see it just for the magnificent Hiddleston, who honors Williams' greatness but also wriggles beyond it.
Hiddleston is compelling as Williams, the king of hillbilly music, noting that when he finds a note he's fond of, "I like to hang on to it." One might say the same about director Abraham.
Hiddleston's uncanny musical performances, all filmed live, help redeem a movie that exhibits the flawed brilliance of its subject.
Saw the Light is not a movie that ever catches fire. One hopes the story will be told again, with more emphasis on what went on inside Hank Williams than on what went on around him.
There's some drinkin', some cheatin', some yellin', and some cryin'. But there ain't nothin' here that explains why, as Williams tells us, all kinds of people write to him just to share their troubles.
Audience Reviews for I Saw the Light
Hank Williams doesn't seem to have been that great of a guy. He became addicted to the drink, morphine and other painkillers as well as fathering several children, only one of which he ever married their mother and this all before his untimely death at the age of twenty-nine. While Williams may not have necessarily been the best guy (and possibly one of the worst parents) it is usually these types of people that stand to create the most interesting stories and in Williams case, write the most interesting ones as well. Before becoming popular as a singer Williams was primarily known for being one of Country and Westerns top songwriters. Williams penned and performed countless tunes for a radio show in his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama before securing a deal with the music publishing firm Acuff-Rose as a professional songwriter. All of that taken into consideration, you wouldn't really come to learn much of it from the Marc Abraham (Flash of Genius) biopic concerning Williams as it tends to only patch together a few story points in the singers life rather than dig in and find out what really made him tick. It's admirable that Abraham doesn't take the easy route of opening his film backstage before one of Williams last shows and using it as a framing device for a period of reflection in which the movie's told, but he also doesn't come up with an alternative way to tell us anything insightful about the man and a movie needs to offer more than a Wikipedia page does. read the whole review at www.reviewsfromabed.com
Super Reviewer
I Saw the Light Quotes
| Hank Williams: | Boy, I'm a professional at makin' a mess of things. |
| Hank Williams: | He's gonna have a real dad, not like it was for me. |
| Hank Williams: | Boy I'm a professional at making a mess of things. |
| Hank Williams: | Marriage is tough on marriage. |