78
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Film ThreatFilm ThreatUntil they get that epic version of The Big Bopper’s life and career off the table, this is still the best Rock and Roll biography ever filmed.
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe movie gets the feel right, and there's real energy in the concert scenes, especially the tricky debut of Buddy Holly and the Crickets as the first white act in Harlem's famous Apollo Theater.
- 88Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneOne of the most engaging rock biographies ever filmed. [31 Jan 1988, p.18C]
- 80Time OutTime OutFine biopic which showcases a brilliant performance by Busey as Holly, and conveys a real, raw feeling for the music.
- 80NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenThis unpretentious, affectionate biography of the horn-rimmed Texas boy who changed the course of rock 'n' roll is a real movie, with a firm grasp on its characters, an honest-to-god plot and an old-fashioned heart. [26 June 1978, p.79]
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineBusey did all his own singing and playing, as did Martin and Stroud as The Crickets, providing a welcome sense of realism. Busey's performance is terrific.
- 75Washington PostGary ArnoldWashington PostGary ArnoldSteve Rash directs the firm in a clean, observant and confidently transparent style - making an impressive debut after several years of TV pop-music specials - and demonstrates a flair for expressing Holly's appeal. [18 Aug 1978, p.B1]
- 70Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrThe plotting of this 1978 biopic is contrived, and director Steve Rash's feeling for Buddy Holly's time and place is virtually nil, but Gary Busey's performance is astonishing—less as an interpretation than as a total physical transformation.
- 70The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyIt's Gary Busey's galvanizing solo performance that gives meaning to an otherwise shapeless and bland feature-length film about the American rock-and-roll star who was killed in a plane crash in 1959.