I Am Woman (2019) User Reviews

A Nice Surprise to Revisit the '70s

[rjb-51149 · 8/10 · 30 November 2020]

I had no idea this movie even existed. I was looking on Netflix for something to watch and I was delightfully surprised to find this film. Helen Reddy quite frankly is one of those icons that immediately transports me back to my '70s AM radio listening. This movie doesn't claim to be anything more than it is. It is a director's version of Helen Reddy's life. The lead, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, is actually quite good as Helen. The supporting players, Evan Peters as Jeff Wald and Danielle McDonald as Lilian Roxon, support her well and are the standouts in the piece. Some may argue that this is nothing but a lifetime movie, but all Helen's songs are there, the backstory is one that I really didn't know anything about and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting that era. Look it's not Shakespeare, but it doesn't pretend to be. As biopics go, it held my interest and it was very entertaining. People forget about how big Helen was. This movie will remind them and hopefully introduce her to a new generation.

Wisdom born of pain

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 10 September 2020]

Greetings again from the darkness. Does penning and recording a feminist anthem warrant a film biopic? Well, when the singer is Helen Reddy and the song is "I Am Woman", the answer is a resounding yes. This is director Unjoo Moon's first narrative feature film, and she is working with a script from Emma Jensen (MARY SHELLEY, 2017). As with any biopic, its effectiveness comes down to the lead performance. Here, Tilda Cobham-Hervey is both strong and invincible as Ms. Reddy.

We first see a wide-eyed Helen Reddy walking through New York City clutching the hand of her very young daughter Traci after arriving from Australia in 1966. She's in pursuit of a recording contract, but instead ends up singing at a mostly empty nightclub and living in a roach-infested rundown hotel. It takes almost no time for her to experience multiple instances of sexism and chauvinism. With no prospects for a better life, Helen meets up with fellow ex-pat Lilian Roxon (Danielle Macdonald, PATTI CAKE$, 2017), a journalist who shows her the town and offers her friendship.

Lilian throws a party for Helen, and after locking eyes across the room, Helen meets Jeff Wald (Evan Peters, "American Horror Story"), an up and coming agent at William Morris. By 1968, Wald has convinced Helen that Los Angeles is the place to kick off her singing career, and along with Traci, they move into a beautiful home and fill it with typical California dreaming. Jeff's managing career starts to build, and Helen gets frustrated at his lack of attention to her career. There are some funny comparisons of Deep Purple, Tiny Tim, and Helen's singing styles, but finally Capitol Records gives her a shot at recording a single.

Helen's career takes off, as does her friend Lilian's, who becomes the 'Mother of Rock' with her Rock 'n Roll Encyclopedia, and subsequent reviews and articles. In fact, Ms. Roxon deserves a biopic or documentary highlighting her influence on rock journalism. As Helen puts out hit records, her husband Jeff is managing many successful acts. Money is pouring in (and out) and in contrast to Helen's common sense manner, Jeff partakes of drugs and alcohol to extremes. Of course, the key component of Helen's career and the movie is in regards to her writing the title song ... a song that the skeptical executives of Capitol Records said made her sound "too angry".

It was Lilian who introduced the women's movement to Helen, but Helen was inherently ambitious and strong-willed ... it ended up being the perfect match. Reddy supported the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), even as Phyllis Schlafly fought hard against it. Helen's 1972 song "I Am Woman" became a huge hit, and later the anthem for a movement. But Helen Reddy's story isn't all rainbows and unicorns, and despite a dose of clichés, and some overacting on the part of Peters, the movie does an admirable job showing how she reacted to the challenges.

Director Moon's husband Dion Beebe (Oscar winner for MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, 2005) is the cinematographer, and he does nice work with the stage performances, as well as the more intimate moments. However, it's Ms. Cobham-Hervey who stands out. I've only previously seen her in HOTEL MUMBAI (2018), and she captures the determination and charisma of Helen Reddy. We see her strength as she instills life lessons in her kids, and goes toe-to-toe with her husband. It's an impressive performance.

The movie shows us Helen's 1982 Las Vegas act, and we hear most, if not all, of her hits, "Delta Dawn", "Leave Me Alone" (actually a pretty annoying song), "You and Me Against the World", "Angie Baby", and obviously, "I Am Woman". Later, in 1989, we see a grown up Traci talk her retired mother into performing her most famous song at the Washington DC rally of the National Organization of Women. It's quite a moment that encapsulates the empowerment that Helen Reddy devoted her life to. The movie doesn't go there, but it's unfortunate that Ms. Reddy has been afflicted with dementia since 2015. Like all great artists, her work will survive her.

An Entertaining and Musical Look At Helen Reddy With A Feminist Touch

[tabuno · 8/10 · 2 March 2021]

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).

Feeling her passion and dedication

[Gordon-11 · 19 September 2020]

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.

Entertaining Bio film Great Star Performance

[tm-sheehan · 7/10 · 28 August 2020]

My Review- Netflix. "I Am Woman." My Rating 7/10

I remember seeing Helen Reddy perform at The Hodern Pavillion in Sydney and the billing was Helen Reddy October 4, 1975 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, AUS (supported by Peter Allen) Helen was a huge star in America after a very bumpy start in Los Angeles thinking the she had prize won on Brian Henderson's Bandstand included an American recording contract. Helen had just won The Starflight International Contest but arrived in America and the Recording Executives didn't want to know her at first. At that Sydney Concert Helen Reddy had a triumphant return to her native country and Peter Allen was just gaining popular success ,what a great show that night in Sydney with two great performances on stage. In those days Australia unlike today was more isolated from the entertainment media frenzy we have today and Helen Reddy's great success wasn't really appreciated apart from her Anthem for Women's Equality the title of this Biopic "I Am Woman." In 1974, at the inaugural American Music Awards, Helen won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. In television, she was the first Australian to host a one-hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, along with specials that were seen in more than 40 countries. This movie's screenplay by Emma Jensen drew from Helen Reddy's auto-biography 'The Woman I Am: A Memoir' (2005). The film was made and first released just under fifteen year's after its first publication. It was intended for Cinema release but due to COVID 19 had its Netflix premiere today and it's a very entertaining and well directed debut movie for Unjoo Moon . Director Unjoo Moon was awarded the Athena Breakthrough Award for this picture at the 2020 Athena Film Festival in New York City. The best thing for me in this familiar "Star Is Born" type scenario of girl singer eclipsing her husbands talent and success is Tilda Cobram-Hervey . She was very impressive in Hotel Mumbai 2018) and she is much more impressive in "I Am Woman." especially capturing so well the unique tone of Helen Reddy's voice and also the look and character of this strong woman ,who changed the history of Women's Liberation by writing such a historic song with collaborator Ray Burton. "I Am Woman" was the first number one single for Capitol Records since "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry five years earlier, in 1967. It was the first number one hit on the Billboard chart by an Australian-born artist and the first Australian-penned song to win a Grammy Award (in her acceptance speech for Best Female Performance, Reddy thanked "God, because Shemakes everything possible"). It also became the second Helen Reddy hit - after "I Don't Know How to Love Him" - to peak at number 2 in Australia. Tilda Cobram-Hervey certainly deserves all the critical praise she has received for her performance as Helen Reddy. Tilda was named by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the breakout stars of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for her role in this movie. Helen Reddy's husband Jeff Wald played well by Evan Peters is not a sympathetic character and his addictions included gambling and substance abuse so I was pleased to see in the credits that he did find recovery from his vices. It's an entertaining and well done film and worth a look to appreciate another example of the talent our nation has produced .

An easy watch

[rhyss-53011 · 6/10 · 7 June 2021]

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...

The eyes have it

[dcarroll74 · 10/10 · 5 September 2020]

The first thing I saw was Tilda's eyes, they are a match for Sandra Bullock, in every way. Now to the nitty gritty.

I enjoyed the watch, especially as I only became aware of it very recently. One can be critical, I won't. To view a current movie in the current pandemic times, is wonderful.

It is actually a good movie. I have no idea of Helen's history therefore, I cannot speak of it, all I know of is her songs, and that's enough. I presume that is the hook for the movie, and I was hooked.

I'm 97 years old so, I presume what I think anymore, no matters. What I think matters to me, and Helen Reddy mattered to me, and many others.

To coin a modern idiom, Nuff said.

Good music not so good acting

[lesliecurtin · 6/10 · 31 October 2020]

I listened to Helen Reddy when I was in my mid-teens. "I Am Woman" was my least favorite song. I love her music but the acting of the woman portraying her was stiff and stilted. Not a horrible movie but not great

The Triumphant Story Of Helen Reddy Roars

[jimsreddy · 10/10 · 13 September 2020]

This film, six years in the making, tells the story of Helen Reddy, from her arrival in the United States in 1966 to her triumphant performance of I Am Woman at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. in 1989. It is not a documentary and does not claim to be. Therefore, the excellent script by Emma Jensen, focuses on only three periods of time in Helen's life. Tilda Cobham-Hervey glows as Helen Reddy. Her movements, especially in the concert sequences are spot on. Anyone who has ever seen Helen in concert will instantly recognize the gestures of "Angie Baby!" Danielle Macdonald and Evan Peters (as Lillian Roxon and Jeff Wald respectively) turn in powerhouse performances that add character and nuance to the overall treatment in an inspiring and uplifting film. In the telling of the Helen Reddy story, the movie shows us all that believing in ourselves will give us the courage to be strong and invincible.

Great concept poorly executed

[BenCurtisActor · 6/10 · 30 November 2020]

Beautiful and inspiring story. Unfortunately not well acted or directed or written. Really wanted it to be good but a bit slow. None the less, bravo to the woman who made this film and keep hope alive for equal rights. We'll get there. One day...

Good, not great, and it should have been GREAT

[andrewrye-06535 · 5/10 · 29 August 2020]

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.

A must see for every generation!

[forever_reddy · 10/10 · 12 September 2020]

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, not as inspiring as it should be

[soelir · 6/10 · 19 November 2023]

I can't get over the irony of the fact that the male 'oppressor' in the film, is the stand out character.

We all know Evan Peters is a phenomenal actor, and he didn't let the acting profession down in this.

So, why, for a feminist movie that is meant to inspire women and girls, was he the standout actor? And not for his character arc!

Was it the dialogue? Was it the filming? Was it the editing?

I'm so sad. This should have been a wonderful, inspiring film. Instead, it was mediocre at best. Still, it's a pleasant love letter to a mom from a child, which is nice. The son, not the daughter though, right?

A not-quite-feminist fable

[ozjosh03 · 4/10 · 6 September 2020]

I Am Woman is based on Helen Reddy's autobiography and co-produced by her son, Jordan Sommers, so one presumes it's the version of her life she wants everyone to buy as "the official story". It's a shame then that so much of it is disingenuous and implausible. The film starts with Reddy arriving in New York in 1966, the winner of an Australian TV talent competition. Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays Reddy as a wide-eyed ingenue, as naive and innocent as they come. It doesn't quite square with Reddy already being a seasoned performer in Australia, or having the steely determination to drag her three-year-old on her journey to make it big in the USA. But this is the kind of cognitive dissonance I Am Woman just loves to generate, scene after scene. Reddy's romance and marriage to Jeff Wald is a prime example. Wald is a brash hustler from the Brox, initially imbued with a wafer-thin veneer of charm by Evan Peters. But there's really nothing to explain why Reddy hitches her wagon to such a cold-blooded operator, at least not beside his promises to make her a star. As their partnership evolves the film depicts Reddy literally not noticing Wald snorting cocaine in her presence. (She thought he just had the sniffles for several years?!). And later, when he's lost all their money and landed them in serious debt, we're again supposed to believe Reddy didn't notice anything until it all comes crashing down around her. Once again, she's the innocent ingenue, too naive for her own good. So much for "I am strong, I am invincible". Which brings us to The Song. In the movie Reddy has a moment of inspiration, writes the song and it's off to the Grammies. There's no mention of Ray Burton, the man who wrote the music and who also apparently shaped and refined the lyrics from Reddy's notes. The omission seems emblematic of the dilemma the runs through I Am Woman. On the one hand, Reddy is at the mercy of devious, self-serving men who refuse to give her a chance. On the other hand, she has to do it all alone. I Am Woman wants to have it both ways, even when it's clear that neither version makes any sense. In the one of film's silliest scenes the male executives of Mercury Records tell Reddy that male bands are now the thing and nobody is interested in solo female singers. Mercury Records, just so you know, was a label that established itself with hits by Patti Page, and whose 60s artists included Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. In fact, the 60s was actually a pretty good time to be a female singer, even one from as far off as Australia (Lana Cantrell, Judith Durham and Olivia Newton-John were all well on their way to solid careers by 66). So that burst of misogyny at Mercury makes little to no sense. We can be fairly sure they were as happy to exploit solo women as they were bands of man. It's far more likely that they just didn't see Reddy as a potential star or they couldn't stomach the obnoxious Wald. Then, and throughout, I Am Woman would have done better to tell a story we could actually believe.

Pleasant and Superficial

[drednm · 30 August 2020]

This comes off as a Lifetime movie and it's a shame. This biopic of Helen Reddy, one of the biggest names in 1970s music, skates over the politics of the day and concentrates on her marriage to Jeff Wald and her hits songs of the decade. The political climate is definitely in the background.

Reddy comes to New York from Australia in 1966 to be a singer. She gets work in nightclubs but is going nowhere. She meets and befriends a writer (Lillian Roxon) and a would-be manager(Wald) who guide her career.

Wald powers through the corporate music structure and gets Reddy a music contract. Out of her first album comes a hit song, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and a minor song "I Am Woman," which gets picked up as an anthem for the women's liberation movement of the time.

From then on Reddy is a star and makes a ton of money. Wald manages a few other acts but has a drug problem. Reddy has a string of hits: "Delta Dawn" "You and Me Against the World," "Angie Baby, "Leave Me Alone," etc. But by the end of the decade, her hits have stopped and she's broke because of the husband and a crooked business manager.

Despite women's empowerment, it's telling that Reddy accepts no responsibility for the money problems and basically drops out of the business. When she returns, she becomes a nostalgia act (no new hits) and the film ends with her singing "I Am Woman" at a women's rally.

The film, directed by a first-time feature director, also swishes by Reddy's songwriting, implying she wrote "I Am Woman." She wrote the lyrics only. The song was written and arranged by Ray Burton. There's no other mention of Reddy as a songwriter or lyricist.

Ultimately, we get a look at a talented singer whose career was created and then possibly ruined by her husband. It's typical of this Lifetime style of movie-making that while the husband is outed for his excesses (and yes Wald was no angel), that the woman/wife is presented as a wide-eyed innocent.

In the long run, it presents Helen Reddy as a major singer of an era that also included Karen Carpenter, Carole King, Anne Murray, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler.... but we don't know any more about her as we do them.

Oh yes, and the Helen Reddy vocals are provided by Chelsea Cullen.

Should have been more compelling

[JLPDX · 6/10 · 29 October 2020]

Reddy is a fantastic and ripe subject but this biopic is no more then a fuzzy Lifetime TV movie cover of her life. The movie glosses over her rise and stormy relationship with Wald (a sorely miscast Evan Peters with amateurish uneven Bronx by way of Midwest accent). It comes off as most other run of the mill rising star flicks - ambitious talented unknown from the sticks meets bad boy who gets hooked on drugs, mismanages career loses everything then star triumphs in the end regardless... Shout out to Cobham-Hervey who pulls off a convincing portrayal of Reddy. There should have been way more of her and less of Peters.

Good Movie, Very Entertaining

[martimusross · 7/10 · 13 November 2020]

I Am Woman

I enjoyed this movie very much and this was largely down to the two brilliant central performance by Tilda Cobham Hervey as Ready and Evans Peters as Jeff Wald, her husband.

The plot was tight and well paced, the musical hits delivered in their entirety, and the styling was comprehensive. The director here did a fabulous job here, marshalling the forces and yet keeping a light touch on the actors so they could shine.

You do not need to be a Ready fan to enjoy this movie as it has something to offer everyone, even if you don't want to burn your bra!

Im giving this a good 7

You and me against the world

[nogodnomasters · 10/10 · 14 September 2020]

The inspirational biopic of Helen Reddy starts in 1966 as she comes to NY. She is jilted on a record deal. She is friends with beat writer Lillian Roxon and marries her manager. We see her early struggles and success. The film includes many of her hits. It reminded me of Tina Turner, behind every successful woman is a coke head drunk.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity

it REALLY is all about the music

[A_Different_Drummer · 6/10 · 28 August 2020]

Every biopic producer has to make the tough choice off the top and it is has literally been that way almost a century. Here the wrong choice was made. Tilda Cobham-Hervey is a wonderful actor but her voice barely comes close to the original. I am not an audio engineer but I can guarantee you that an entire range of the waveform is missing here. To put that in another kinder, more gentler, way ... had this been what the real Helen Reddy sounded like, there never would have been a Helen Reddy to write a script about in the first place.

Great Movie. Helen was inspirational, courageous, great singer / overall great human being.

[jam-17182 · 9/10 · 18 September 2020]

I really enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed learning about Helen's journey. I had no idea of her personality struggles. What a great example of courage and perseverance. Acting was great and I got a greatest hits so I could continue to enjoy her songs.

Living Goddess, Voice of Silk

[hosh1313 · 7/10 · 1 October 2020]

As a kid growing up with her music it was easy to take for granted. Looking back now it is clear that she defined a generation and era here in Australia and worldwide.

Most beautiful, feminine, strong and classy voice ever!

Not a bad movie.

Would now like the real story.

[granttaylor-813-198495 · 5/10 · 30 August 2020]

Her career even though great was not a one woman show, she co wrote I Am Woman but this gives no indication of that, This is more about the woman's movement than the WOMAN. In the hands of another director there was so much more to be told.

Covers A Lot, Good Lead Performances

[keshjig · 8/10 · 3 January 2021]

With a relatively short run time, they did a good job of doing justice to Helen as a person and her personal life, her drive and ambition, her marriage, and contemporaneous politics. In fact, it was often exciting and emotionally engaging. I think the movie represented things honestly. Her husband's weaknesses were on full display and in painful detail, but he was also more of an asset for her than I was expecting. It touches on what was apparently important to her, her kids, her career, her best friend, and the women's movement. So, I think it gave an accurate overview of major life events, and also plausibly portrayed her as a decent person, with a lot of self-respect and integrity. The movie also gives insight into what a badass she was. It's a pleasant surprise that she demanded respect from the record execs and guided her career in her own way. This was all capably expressed by both leads, and Tilda in particular. She was great with the steely glint or strong speech that shows Helen's determination and will, and also her vulnerability during some heartbreaking moments. I'm grateful to this movie for giving me a renewed appreciation for a remarkable woman.

Loved Helen Reddy as a kid!

[secretstory · 6/10 · 12 November 2020]

I anticipated watching this. Oh boy... Firstly, the musical equipment used in the movie was not even around back then. Secondly, the portrayal of Helen was off. Such a shame, since a movie about her warranted much more study. Evan Peters, the lead guy who played her husband, (from American Horror Story fame), was not good either. I continued watching the entire movie but kept hoping it would just end. May Helen Reddy rest in peace and love.

Could have been so much better...

[dwowens-17318 · 2/10 · 14 September 2020]

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.