Sadly Over-hyped

Absolutely the worst movie.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

There's 'Lost Highway', which isn't actually a very good play at all, there's 'Your Cheatin' Heart' (an Elvis movie with no Elvis because Tom Parker wanted royalties) starring George Hamilton who does his best with a truly atrocious script, and there's this, which is the one to see. Sneezy Waters depicts Hank doing the best bar gig in the history of music anywhere, of any genre. It's atmospheric, authentic and well staged, and Sneezy's Hank impression is very good - though Sneezy's far too old and his voice, while he gets the yodels OK, is not strong in the lower end. You can hear him struggling at times, which makes the audience's constant ecstatic reaction a bit strange. But not many actors can sing and vice versa.I found the quality of the video on the Echo Bridge DVD to be barely acceptable - played on a MacBook, it looked like it had been videoed off a TV screen. The scenes in the car are only just watchable, and the audio is somewhat muffled. That said, in a way this helps with the authentic atmosphere.

Strumming his guitar and singing the songs he made famous, Hank Williams (Sneezy Waters), together with his band, entertains an audience at a typical roadside bar in this fictional account of what might have been, if the night of December 31, 1952 had been a little different. On that night in real life, Williams traveled by car from Montgomery, Alabama to perform a show in Charleston, West Virginia. He died en route.Director David Acomba uses that cold, snowy nighttime road trip as a structural frame, with Williams in the backseat talking about his life, his problems, his dreams, and his regrets. These brief interludes punctuate the fantasy performance at the bar, wherein individual songs introduce new sequences, in lieu of standard script plot points.Aside from the terrific music, what's really striking is the excellent cinematography. My best guess is that the DP used 16mm, low saturation film stock, resulting in grainy visuals, combined with sepia-toned hues of mostly browns, tans, and grays. There's little variation in the color palette. The photography creates a melancholy, almost depressing mood, and implies a dreamlike journey back in time.The film's costumes and prod design reflect the reality that the Great Depression had not completely gone away. Threadbare clothes, a wooden floor, plain overhead lights and other props imply hard times. Even Williams' outfit, though countrified, is not flashy.One would be hard pressed to find a better actor than Sneezy Waters for the role of Williams. His looks and that Southern vocal delivery scream Hank Williams.Minor complaints include my understanding that the film was not shot in the American South. I think it should have been. Second, I could have done without the little monologues Williams imparts to the audience. And the film's ending is a tad too doleful for my taste.The early 1950s were tough for working folks. Hank Williams, with his heartfelt, down-home songs came along at just the right time with just the right music for the common man and woman. This film captures not only the Hank Williams persona but also an era that is gone forever.

Maybe I overreacted because my expectations were low, but I thought this was a very impressive, touching and original piece of tiny-budget indie filmmaking. As a drug-sick, alcoholic Williams takes a last limo ride, he imagines a concert in a small time honk-tonk, reaching out and touching people one on one in a way his fame had long made impossible. Corny at moments, but with a terrific heart, and a wonderful leading performance by Sneezy Waters I found myself ready to forgive its shortcomings, and embrace its strengths. I'll be curious to see it again, and see if I have as strong a reaction. Certainly I loved the music far more than I expected, and I am no big country music fan.

I saw this movie years ago on TV in Canada and remembered it as being really great, with a superb performance by the lead actor, even tho at the time I was more into the Ramones than Hank Williams. I recently purchased the DVD based on this 25 year old memory, and what a pleasant surprise to see that the movie was even better now as viewed thru my middle aged eyes, and the performance by Sneezy Waters as Hank is one of those rare things where the actor transcends the medium and becomes the character he is playing. Amazing! You really do feel like you are watching a show by Hank himself, warts and all. The relatively poor quality of the DVD transfer even adds to the authenticity, and the art direction really evokes the period. I think if you are a music fan, a history fan, or a Hank fan, you will enjoy this film. I couldn't recommend it more highly.