Hank Williams biopic better behind the scenes

Published 6:25 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2016

To dub or not to dub? In the music biopic, that is the question.

It can work either way: In “Ray,” Jamie Foxx’s uncanny acting was supported by Ray Charles’s voice during the song sequences. In “Walk the Line,” Joaquin Phoenix did the singing himself, imitating Johnny Cash’s vocal stylings.

Tough call, though, because if you’re filming a singer’s story in the first place, it’s usually because he or she had an incredibly distinctive voice.

This is one of the problems with “I Saw the Light,” in which the brief life of Hank Williams is explored. Williams’ voice, part twang and part yodel, is unforgettable—and we miss it in this movie.

The life has been a movie before, in 1964’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” which was notable for the baffling casting of George Hamilton as the country music legend. Here, the part is taken by Tom Hiddleston, the British actor best known for his Marvel villain in the “Avengers” universe.

Hiddleston looks right, no doubt about it—he’s lean and angular, just like the real Hank Williams. The movie leads off with Williams’ marriage to Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen), a union pooh-poohed by his mother (Cherry Jones) because Audrey is a divorcee.

From the start, we know that Hank likes his booze and his women, so there isn’t really much development on that front. In fact there isn’t much development in general; “I Saw the Light” is more a series of scenes strung together, without much heed to building drama.

The formula of the music biopic is so easy — the early struggles, the rise to fame, the personal demons — I have to assume that writer-director Marc Abraham wanted to do something different.

Good for him, but there’s not much left over in this impressionistic affair. There are hints of the politics of the Grand Ole Opry, brief looks at Hank’s other women, and precious little about the sources of his artistry (or his self-destructive behavior).

Hiddleston and Olsen shine in some good domestic scenes. They make an interesting pair: He’s laconic and dissolute (the role has more in common with Hiddleston’s chic vampire in “Only Lovers Left Alive” than you might think), she’s super-alert and frustrated by her own career ambitions.

Hiddleston sings credibly. But he doesn’t have the country swing, and he only approximates the twang. It’s no slam against the actor that the movie would’ve been better served with the indelible Hank Williams voice.

But what can you say about a movie that relegates “Jambalaya” and “I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry” to the end credits? If a biopic isn’t about the music, it’s missing the key notes.

“I Saw the Light” 2 stars

This biopic of country legend Hank Williams avoids some of the formula of the music bio, but doesn’t create anything new of its own. Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen play Williams and his first wife, and they create some good domestic scenes, but otherwise the film dribbles along.

Rating: R, for language, nudity

Showing: Guild 45th, Oak Tree, Pacific Place