My mother was a big fan of Helen Reddy, with the women's movement back in the '60s (sad that it even had to happen)my mother was a big follower of Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Joan Baez, and Helen Reddy. They spoke for all the women, the men who were not afraid of women speaking for their rights-stood right beside them and showed their support.
First off let me start by saying that Tilda-Cobham-Hervy is captivating and so very energetic as Hellen Reddy. Her smile glows all over the screen -her performance is easily one of the best I have seen this year without a doubt and I hope she is nominated for an award of some sort--if there will be any next year.
Of course, I had seen a few times that she was on the TV because my mother was a fan and I enjoyed her strong voice and the lyrics that she wrote. I really enjoyed the moments when they cut to the actual footage of her being introduced on the Johhny Carson show and then they have it cut to now with Tilda playing Helen. This plays out very much like a lot of the movies we have seen in the past when they focus on one person, however, I thought this movie was so much better than Judy, even though Tilda did not do any of the singing in the film--overall it is just a better movie.
From early on in the film we see her passion for music and her daughter as well, a single mother she flies all the way from Australia to New York and is given a shock that she has to audition -but because the boy bands are making all the money for the labels, she is sent on her way.
She is determined to make things happen for herself and it was with this determination that she got herself on the charts as often as she did, she does acknowledge the help that she had from her husband as far as getting her in the door for her first single. However, everything from that point on was all Helen and her great talent to write inspiring songs and sing them just as loud.
I thought the way the story was told felt very genuine and the cast was great all-around in telling the story of how if someone really has a dream and doesn't give up --it can happen no matter what the skeptics say.
Here is an interview with the director of the film and three of the cast members.