I Saw the Light

Critics 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.

18%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 155

36%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 3,638

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Movie Info

Singer and songwriter Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) rises to fame in the 1940s, but alcohol abuse and infidelity take a toll on his career and marriage to fellow musician Audrey Mae Williams (Elizabeth Olsen).
  • Rating:
    R (Some Language|Brief Sexuality/Nudity)
  • Genre:
    biography, drama, history
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Marc Abraham
  • Producer:
    Aaron L. Gilbert, Brett Ratner, G. Marq Roswell, Marc Abraham
  • Writer:
    Marc Abraham
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $1.6M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Ratpac Entertainment, Bron Studios

Cast & Crew

Tom Hiddleston
Hank Williams
Elizabeth Olsen
Audrey Mae Williams
Bradley Whitford
Fred Rose
David Krumholtz
James Dolan
Cherry Jones
Lillie Williams
Maddie Hasson
Billie Jean
Wes Langlois
Don Helms
Wrenn Schmidt
Bobbie Jett
Marc Abraham
Director
Marc Abraham
Screenwriter
Aaron L. Gilbert
Producer
Brett Ratner
Producer
G. Marq Roswell
Producer
Marc Abraham
Producer
Patty Long
Executive Producer
Jason Cloth
Executive Producer
John Raymonds
Executive Producer
James Packer
Executive Producer
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Critic Reviews for I Saw the Light

All Critics (155) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (127)

View All Critic Reviews (155)

Audience Reviews for I Saw the Light

  • Sep 12, 2015
    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
    Philip P Super Reviewer
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