“Folk music, hillbilly—it’s sincere,” Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) tells an inquisitive New York reporter about halfway through I Saw the Light, in what’s intended to be the film’s pivotal mic drop moment.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for I Saw the Light, a movie marred by dull performances and overwrought dialogue. As one of the most important and influential American songwriters of the 20th century, Williams is ripe for the biopic treatment. And like most geniuses who die young, his untimely passing only ensured his timelessness. Unlike Elvis, Johnny Cash, or Brian Wilson, Williams never had the opportunity to tarnish his legacy (unless you count his shitty offspring). His talent was immense and meteoric; his entire career spanned six short years.
Which is precisely what makes I Saw the Light such a wasted opportunity.