I Am Woman

Mediocre film about a mediocre pop singer. Janis Joplin was woman. Brenda Lee was woman. Helen Reddy is, well, Helen Reddy. Still, mediocre people love to watch movies which reflect their own mediocrity so I guess there will always be an audience for such fluff. Everybody else can just smile and walk on.

I had chills from the very beginning as one of Helen's original recordings begins the film. Helen paved the way for a generation and her story must be told and should not be forgotten. If you have followed her career here is your chance to reminisce. If you only know the songs this is your chance to delve a bit deeper into the woman behind them. If you never heard of Helen, well here is your chance to learn about an amazing artist and woman. And yes, I'm proud to say she's also my friend.

Sadly this film doesn't come close to touching the depth and essence of Helen Reddy. As an overdramatic bio pic, with large doses of creative license, it is absolutely lackluster. The leading actress who plays Helen Reddy does a fine job, but unfortunately the film itself overshadows her talent. Another downside to the film is not using Helen's original recordings throughout the movie. The vocals the director uses carries a karaoke type mood while the actress lip-syncs. Why only use a few of Helen's original recordings for scenes with no dialogue or for dramatic purposes? And my last little pet peeve... There's way too much Jeff Wald in this movie. Helen Reddy is a remarkable woman. And this movie unfortunately does not fully reflect that. If you want to know the real story read Helen's biography The Woman I Am. This movie claims that it was inspired by her book, but I don't see the inspiration anywhere.

Most people know of Helen by her feminist anthem, I Am Woman. This film tells the story you probably don't know: how an Australian woman toppled the male-driven American world of music. Danielle McDonald is always great and doesn't disappoint here either. I loved Tilda as Helen. And, it's always nice to hear Australian accents in film. Recommended for a cosy night on the couch, for Helen Reddy fans, and people who want to be empowered by pioneer women who paved the way for us now.

I didn't know about Helen, and after watching this film it feels as if I do know her. I feel her passion and dedication to her empowering music. I enjoyed this film.

I was there, soaking in the music of the era and familiar with Reddy's songs. It's hard to relate to or find sympathy for many of the characters. One abuses drugs, and I didn't care. Another dies, so what. A couple fight, big freaking deal. I felt nothing for anyone. So maybe character development is weak. As is the direction in which the story flowed. It felt confused about where it wanted to go. As soon I heard the line "you make me want to be better," I feared it was going to be a torturous night. Fortunately there wasn't another ripoff from other films. They dropped enough names - Linda McCartney, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Tiny Tim and the biggest, the Beatles. But they were just ear candy that I imagined didn't titillate anyone. Not sure if this is right, but I don't remember "I Am Woman" as the one signature ERA song. I believe there were a few. And when Reddy's star had faded, you couldn't just read liner notes from an old hit record and expect it to still be relevant at a rally. But if the event happened, oh well it happened. Tilda Cobham-Hervey is robotic as Reddy. If a biopic is to succeed, your actor has got to at least fog glass. This is particularly evident in the last scene. She looked like a mannequin with an empty stare out into a distant wilderness. The one redeeming part of this film, which made it worth the time for me, is discovering "Revolution," a track from the film sung by Reddy's granddaughter, Lily Donat. I'll forget the film in a few days but this song is saved for good in my music library.

Getting the worst out of the way, it was derivative, BUT, nothing has been written about neither Helen Reddy or other major female artists front hat time. The active was decent and Tilda got many of Ms. Reddy's moves down accurately. Evan Peters was a good actor for Jeff Wald. I think that the woman who helped lift the sails of the ERA and women's rights' movement and provided a strong musical history in its wake!! Brough tears to this man's eyes and reinforced my respect for her work! Worth a viewing!!

Loved 'I Am Woman'. I became a fan of Helen Reddy's when I was a kid and saw her in (the original) Pete's Dragon. This movie is a great tribute to Helen and it chronicles the struggles she faced while looking for a break in the male-dominated music industry in America during the 70's - beyond the peak of her success. Tilda Cobham-Hervey did a great job of embodying Helen. Beautiful cinematography, well directed, inspiring story! (Sure there are things left out - difficult to cover 20+ years in a couple of hours).