10 Performances In Film Biopics That Got It Horribly Wrong
4. Tom Hiddleston As Hank Williams - I Saw The Light
The tumultuous life story of Hank Williams, one of the most beloved and enduring musicians of all time, appeared to be a sure fire recipe for critical and commercial success.
The "Hillbilly Shakespeare" was an iconic performer who was ultimately laid low by his own personal demons, with his personal and professional relationships crumbling under the weight of his rampant substance abuse. Despite his ignominious death from heart failure at the tender age of 29, Williams remains a revered figure in the music industry to this day.
Tom Hiddleston is decidedly not appalling as tortured soul Williams in 2015's I Saw The Light, and shares stunning chemistry with Elizabeth Olsen as his wife Audrey throughout the film. The fatal flaw with his performance - and I Saw The Light as a whole - is that he simply fails to do justice to Williams' endlessly complex personality or the quintessentially Southern nature of the man as a performer.
Throw in the inescapable fact that Hiddleston's singing skills are notably below par when compared to the inimitable musician - a sentiment echoed by Williams' descendants - and the end result is a meandering, formulaic offering. The legendary crooner may have brought us "Howlin' At The Moon", but it is swathes of the film's audience who are left howling with frustration at the events unfolding onscreen.