I was impressed by Penn Badgley's portrayal of Buckley in this 'snapshot in time' genre of movie. It was not, as other reviewers seem to miss, a biography of either Jeff or his father Tim Buckley. Rather, the movie focuses on Jeff's reluctant participation and eventual musical and personal redemption via a tribute concert to his father that took place in NYC in 1991. The action takes place over just a few days prior and leading up to the concert. I might add that the St. Ann band backing the various tribute musicians was tremendous. Its my impression that what you hear of them on film was live...or very well near it. I did notice some inconsistent editing and out of sync instrumentals, but this is not the first movie coming up short in this area.
Back to Penn Badgley...his musical takes were live and done with no lip syncing. His guitar playing was real...when is the last time you've seen that in a movie? His character was, for me, as honest an interpretation of a tragic character as I've seen in a very long time. The movie takes place in a period prior to Jeff's musical self discovery, a few years before his first album. He comes across as a idiosyncratic, often annoyingly self centered young person still searching for his voice. I didn't actually like the character portrayed in the movie and suspect I wouldn't care much for Jeff Buckley in person, (if Penn's portrayal is accurate) however, this is certainly not the point of the movie.
The pace of the film, which others criticize, worked for me...and, in some respects, had the feel of a documentary rather than being scripted.
I was a huge fan of Tim Buckley's first few albums...after Lorca, I moved on. Goodbye/Hello is one of the hallmark albums of the 60's: Happy Sad was a haunting art piece blending transitional jazz with folk. I didn't know Jeff's music nearly as well...so, I must confess that his portrayal is personally prototypical. Imogen Poots is lovely and steals every scene she is in...I thought her acting was fresh and unassuming and did a credible New York accent despite being British. All in all, I liked the film on many levels. -Jim
