I Am Woman

This is an enjoyable watch, and showcases some of Helens great songs which I, as a thirty-something year old, was not already privy too. But it's very easy to see that this is very much sugar coated. I found myself far more intrigued by Lilian Roxons story...

I was a youngster living in Australia when Helen Reddy hit the scene and although she was kicking it in America she was proudly Australian and Australia was certainly proud to own her. I know her politics caused a huge stir and she was either loved or hated because of her politics. Either way she had presence and was a power house singer. Watch any you tube video and she commanded respect. None of this came across. I don't know Tilda's work but this felt far too big for her. Her build was tiny and lithe where as Helen Reddy was a strong looking solid woman. Check out her abs and broad shoulders on her performance 'I am Woman' on the Midnight special 1971. I wish I'd had abs like that and I'm a male! Also, Helen Reddy was a confident in your face singer and stared directly into the camera, often closing her eyes as she hit the soul part of the song. Tilda looked like she was timid and about to run off the stage, particularly when she sang in front of the crowd at the monument. So, nope. Her voice fell short too, reedy and lacking the force Helen Reddy was famous for. An unconvincing performance in my view. Helen Reddy did so much more than this movie showed and it's a shame her parts in movies and TV specials was left out. It only touched lightly on her politics so we never got to see her fierce avocation for women's rights. It was as if all she did was the songs and it wasn't.

This should have been a 2 or 3 part mini series or at least touched on other work on stage and screen. I felt a little cheated and to be honest, the story felt sanitised. No disrespect to to Tilda Cobham-Hervey who did her best. Unjoo Moon said she didn't know her before doing the movie, it showed.

My wife and I watched this at home on BD from our public library. We both grew up in the 1960s, we both are familiar with Helen Reddy and her music. But we never knew the backstory, her origins and the obstacles she encountered when she traveled from Australia to the USA to make a music career.

I find myself wondering how the younger (under 40) viewers react to this movie, we found it very interesting and a very worthwhile viewing. The acting is spot on and they found a young 20-something Australian singer to sing the Reddy songs.

Overall a very worthwhile movie.

A film about Australian Helen Reddy's rise to fame as a singer during the 60s and 70s. A vibrant and entertaining retro movie with familiar songs that enliven and enrich the storyline. A strong performance by Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Helen Reddy captures the difficulties and feminist setting in the entertainment business. The inclusion of both the trials of being a mother as well as husband/manager offer up a nicely balanced, rounded portrait of Reddy. Surprisingly undervalued and likely unable to receive a world-wide release like the tennis movie of Billie Jean King (2013). This decent biographical rendition was likely overshadowed when most of the public attention gravitated to John Elton's Rocketman (2019) that incorporated some amazing movie-making photography and the release of the biography about the very popular Mr. Roger in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) as well as Judy Garland's Judy (2019).

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.