The Buddy Holly Story
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Movie Reviews of The Buddy Holly Story
Movie Review: A What-a-caster?!
Summary: 3 Stars
Buddy Holly is a young Texan rock `n' roll singer with bad eyesight and teeth like the grill of a crashed Buick who finds himself at odds with virtually everyone he comes across in his quest for a new sound. His church publicly denounce him, his parents dismiss his music as `kids' stuff, his first recording session becomes a punch up, his fiancé thinks his music is just a hobby and his band the Crickets are just a couple of `good `ol boys' just out for a good time.
In the midst of all this `encouragement' his boss at the local radio station threatens to fire him - but not before sending a recording to some `hut shut pre-dooser up theyer in Noo Yawk'. Within seconds Holly is catapulted to fame, fortune, marriage and death at twenty two - but not before he starts the ball rolling for the civil rights movement, changes the face of popular music and buys a Cadillac.
On the face of it Steve Rash's 1978 biopic seems to have gone out of its way to be inaccurate. It manages to render events that kinda/sorta happened into almost total fiction. The insult to Eddie Cochran warrants a governmental inquiry, the concept of a live version of That'll be The Day being his first hit single is wishful thinking in the extreme and don't get me started on the omissions! No mention of the 1958 British tour - an event seismic in its impact on pop music forever afterwards - and no mention of his manger and producer Norman Petty - without whom the world may never have heard of Buddy Holly. They don't even get his guitar right - a Telecaster? A Bronco?! Even in the final scene where he does finally yield a Stratocaster - an instrument integral to the Holly legend - it's a rosewood neck job with a large 70's head and with the tremolo arm left on.
For the average viewer this means nothing, but to rock `n' roll aficionados this is the cinematic equivalent of Da Vinci's `The Last Supper' depicted with a family bucket of KFC on the table.
Certainly Holly did change the face of popular music and he did buy a Cadillac (or two) but the racial divide smashing is based on his marriage to the Hispanic Maria Elena Santigo and a highly fictionalised account of his appearances at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem where he wins over an initially hostile and exclusively black audience. Here (and in subsequent stage productions) he is booked on the basis that, due to his sound, they thought he was black - then he `blows Negro minds' with his unique blend of rolling drums and jangly guitar after being warned that he would, at best, be killed by an outraged mob who had never witnessed a red neck `hot footing' their hallowed bandstand.
The reality is that The Crickets were booked - not because they sounded black - but because there was a Negro vocal group also called the Crickets creating said confusion. They did eventually win over a begrudging audience but it took a week long residency and some Bo Diddley numbers to do it.
Some kudos is due as the music is - unlike most musicals - played live and by the actors themselves (with a sneaky second guitar being played off screen - hence cut-aways and long shots during solos). Charles Martin-Smith (Bass) and Don Stroud (Drums) are adequate but everything rests on Gary Busey's singing and guitar playing which, frankly, belongs at chucking out time of a Thai karaoke night. The big final concert at the Clear Lake Auditorium with Coasters saxophonist King Curtis and a full orchestra virtually never happened. The actual show, which was at The Surf Ballroom, was apparently a shoddy affair with standard rock backing (albeit with the brilliant Tommy Allsup on lead guitar and country superstar in the making Waylon Jennings on bass). The stars on that final show ended up having to play drums for each other on account of the hired drummer recovering in hospital from frostbite due to the horrendous travelling conditions.
In all fairness many of the inaccuracies were due to litigation considerations as virtually everyone connected to the subject refused to allow themselves to be portrayed or even have their names used - so it's something of a stroke of genius that The Buddy Holly Story takes those limitations and turns them into something of a virtue - resulting in an enjoyable film which is more of an affectionate tribute to notoriously fanciful 50's `candy coloured' biopics such as the Glenn Miller Story than a faithful rendering of the tragically short life a remarkable pioneer.
The Buddy Holly Story? No. A Buddy Holly Story? Pretty much.
Movie Review: "Story" is the operative word!
Summary: 3 Stars
A previous reviewer asked, in response to the fact that Buddy Holly's parents sued this film's producers due to their portrayal in this movie, "How could one capture accuracy in 3 minutes??" The Hollys did not sue about accuracy, they sued about inaccuracy. If you nurture your child's musical gifts from the earliest age, encourage him to perform before audiences, and instill him with confidence in his creative ability, and then see yourselves portrayed as cliche farm folk who tell their son to give up music and concentrate on a "real career," soley for purpose of telling a cliche rock 'n' roll story, I can imagine them being pretty annoyed. The Crickets were annoyed, too, at the portrait of Buddy Holly assaulting a record producer. This never happened and if it had, Buddy Holly would probably have gone to jail and would possibly never have recorded. This movie is loaded with silly high-drama moments and cliched portrayals. The true story was interesting enough, but these producers had to weave in every old angle from Judy Garland movies, to what end I really don't know. Gary Busey brings a lot of energy to the role, it's true. In singing and performing all the songs he does a creditable job. At the same time, on not one song does he get the lyrics right. These are not hard lyrics. I guess there must have been some copyright issue because the lyrics to every single song are changed from the original. I found "The Buddy Holly Story" depressing. I expected so much and it delivered so little. Compared to "La Bamba," "Backbeat," or "Ray" this is a terrible film bio. I give it three stars for Busey's performance, but that's about Gary Busey, not Buddy Holly.Movie Review: A good bio-drama but....
Summary: 3 Stars
Buddy Hollly. Probably no one artist in Rock & Roll history has garnished as much deserving respect and admiration than this musical pioneer from Lubbock, Texas. However, while there's so much to like about this film, there's also a lot to be disgrunteled at. Gone are the real names of Crickets members Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin, and Holly is never shown recording his first hits in New Mexico with Norman Petty. Holly never sang "Maybe Baby" during his 2 spots on the Ed Sullivan Show, he never toured with Sam Cooke, nor was there an orchestra with King Curtis on that fateful winter tour in 1959. Busey's Buddy doesn't even use his legendary trademark Fender Stratocaster model guitar until the last scene! My mother saw Buddy perform when she was younger at the old Paramount Theaters in NYC and Brooklyn and on TV - he was always sharply dressed, like a classical pianist, and never the gawky "white socked" nerd Busey portrays him as. The films best moments are when Busey interacts as Holly with his wife and others and the music! Historically it's hardly the real Buddy Holly Story, but it's fun never the less.Movie Review: Before Joaquin Phoenix brought a Country legend to life, Gary Busey brought a Rock 'n' Roll legend to life
Summary: 3 Stars
He was born in Lubbock, Texas, he dated a girl named Cindy Lou, he rocked the nation influenced by Elvis Presley & he is one of the most important figures of American pop culture, his name is Buddy Holly & this is his story. Gary Busey stars in the title role of the late rock 'n' roll legend in this telling of his rise to fame in only two years & his tragic plane crash with Richie Valens & Big Bopper recording rock classics like "That'll be the Day" "Peggy Sue" "Oh Boy!" "Rave On" "Maybe Baby" & 5 more hit songs. If ya your Buddy fan see "the Buddy Holly Story"Movie Review: BUDDY DESERVES A BETTER MOVIE!
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Buddy Holly Story" is a good film,but the story never really digs deep or leads us anywhere except to the inevitable end. Busey does get brownie points for doing his own singing and he plays his part well. It's a good film, but watching it back to back with "La Bamba" it pales in comparison. The DVD had a "this has been formatted to fit you TV screen" warning before the movie?? even though it states widescreen on the case.??? The transfer looks very good and the soundtrack was rocking!