The Buddy Holly Story

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The Buddy Holly Story

PG

Released May 18, 1978

1h 53m

Biography

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100%

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31 Reviews

77%

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5,000+ Ratings

A chronicle of the rise and brief career of rock 'n' roll star Buddy Holly (Gary Busey), who aspires to play music the way he wants it to sound. Holly and his band, the Crickets, are first invited to record in Nashville, where they encounter creative differences with the producing staff. Later they play a major booking at the Apollo Theater, scheduled there under the mistaken assumption that they're a black band. Holly's career eventually goes solo -- until the tragic day the music dies.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

The film is an entertaining chronicle of Holly's brief but productive and influential career as a pioneering rock 'n' roll composer and singer.

May 23, 2019

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

The 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.

May 23, 2019

Full Review

Vincent Canby

New York Times

It'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.

May 23, 2019

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

The Buddy Holly Story is the best, because it dares to present the truth of social and rectorial opposition of Rock in the fifties. [Full review in Spanish]

Jan 17, 2024

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

A factual disaster and still wholly entertaining as a sort of performative docudrama that blurs the lines between Holly and Busey.

Rated: 2.5/5

Nov 3, 2020

Full Review

Ted Whitehead

The Spectator

The film should please Buddy Holly fans and perhaps the young generation who are curious about rock's beginnings. Rave on.

May 23, 2019

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Leaburn O

Decent biopic of a legend of the music industry. A bit wet and poetic licence used owing to the tragedy. A bit of a shame it didn’t cover the crash and aftermath. Watched on Amazon Prime.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

Full Review

CodyZamboni Z

Engaging performances, Great music, Entertaining.music bio pic. Movie has a nice feel for the time and place

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/24

Full Review

Tyler S

This was really good! At first, I was not a fan of how quickly paced the beginning felt, but it gradually got better as it went on. Buddy Holly is such an interesting character and I think they told his legacy pretty well. I was pretty cool to compare a biopic from 1978 to "Elvis" in 2022 and see how crazy different they are, but have a similar effect on you.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Tony M

The Buddy Holly Story tells the story of the late great Buddy Holly. My late Brother and I watched this together many times back in the days when we were learning to play guitar. This movie holds much nostalgia for me.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

Full Review

Mark A

Gary Busey's one great perfomance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/03/23

Full Review

aidan j

A must watch for not only Buddy Holly fans, but fans of rock n' roll!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Synopsis

A chronicle of the rise and brief career of rock 'n' roll star Buddy Holly (Gary Busey), who aspires to play music the way he wants it to sound. Holly and his band, the Crickets, are first invited to record in Nashville, where they encounter creative differences with the producing staff. Later they play a major booking at the Apollo Theater, scheduled there under the mistaken assumption that they're a black band. Holly's career eventually goes solo -- until the tragic day the music dies.

Director: Steve Rash
Producer: Fred Bauer
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Innovisions
Rating: PG
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 18, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 8, 2014
Runtime: 1h 53m

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