Take Me Home - The John Denver Story (Biopic)

Rating:
Summary: A Must-have for Denver Collectors!
Review: A fascinating account of the highlights and hidden facets of the convoluted and paradoxical life of the late John Denver.
FIRST THE GOOD: It is worth owning if only for the rare insights which stem from the input of friend Hal Thau and first wife Annie. The film exemplifies the spirit-lifting optimism that made John so popular, while exploring the deep-rooted quirks in his upbringing that drove him to excel. That spirit is palpable throughout as a result of competent film-making.
NOW THE BAD: Lowe's portrayal of Denver, though done with superior attention to John's idiosyncratic gestures, still makes JD appear as a self-centered, clueless but lovable jerk with none of the poise, charm, deep introspection of his real-life counterpart. Those of us who loved John knew him as a deeply commited and thoughtful individual, little of which is evident here.
Some of the script input is obviously the result of Annie's point of view, and while fascinating, does not delve so much into John's view of the same situations. For that one will have to turn to the book on which the movie is very loosely based.
Also those that have read the book TAKE ME HOME, and are familiar with John's work will find a number of historical inaccuracies.
Despite all this I highly reccomend it to Denver fans and anyone interested in his bio. However, I would not use this DVD to introduce John Denver to someone not already familiar.

Rating:
Summary: This "biography" is FICTION with BAD acting!
Review: From the first minute of this so called biography, the facts have been tossed out the window. (They've got John singing "This Old Guitar" a full 10 years before he wrote it).
The list of inaccuracies is too long to list here (anyone who only saw this Movie would be shocked to learn that John has a brother! and a manager named Jerry . . . and TALENT!)

Hal Thau had a whole lot less to do with John's success than his manager Jerry Weintraub.

Flying for me was written for the Challenger Crew in 1986, not before his father died in 1982.

Geesh folks, how hard is it to check facts?

John deserved far better.


Note to Chad Lowe: John did not whine all the time and he did not writhe around on stage when he sang.

The only thing mildly amusing about this abomination is the whle 14 seconds devoted to his second marriage.

If you wanna know about John Denver, read his book, listen to his music, and watch The Wild Life Concert. THAT is John Denver.

Rating:
Summary: Check your facts
Review: While it interesting to have some decent actors associated with this film, it is also very disheartening for any of Johns fans to see so many inaccuracies in this production. The songs are mostly all out of chronological order, and Chad Lowe trying to mime to Johns voice while "playing" unconvincing guitar, does not work. Kristen Davis does a nice job of portraying "Annie", but the film fails to capture the quality of John's music, or his deep commitment to the causes, that drove so much of his work. There is no attempt to analyse why his life became such a struggle for a man at the top of the world. If Hal Thau was indeed involved so deeply with this project, its a crying shame that so many of the production details were poorly researched. John was a highly intelligent and passionate man who spoke in Congress, and lobbyed politicians to help with his environment projects, but in this film he comes across as whinny and insipid - two things he was definately not.
The man deserved a better biopic of his fascinaing life than this tardy effort.