More shots in the arm like this and biopics would be back in a big way. This really is a remarkable re-creation of a singer whose skill with music placed him in the same category as The Beatles a few years later. The film benefits from the fact that the stars, Gary Busey (as Buddy), Don Stroud and Charlie Martin Smith, not only look like Holly and The Crickets, but sound like them, generating all their own excitement on stage. And their performances are very good too. The story is fluently told and, although one could have wished for more of the romantic ballads that, sung in Holly's highly individual manner, were such a significant part of his output, this is a minor grumble since the whole film is so much better than you might imagine.

©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes