Review: I Am Woman

She wrote the song that fueled a movement. Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” became the unofficial anthem for feminists around the world. And while it was called “angry” or “man-hating,” it was just what women needed to hear, and her lyrics are just as relevant today as they were in the sixties. 

The film opens as Helen (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) steps into a bustling New York City with her daughter in tow. She won the chance to audition for a record contract. Record executives dismiss her and diminish her dreams of being a singer. Heartbroken over uprooting her and her daughter’s lives by moving from Australia to America, Helen finds solace in her friendship with rock journalist Lillian Roxon (Danielle Macdonald). In an attempt to up her spirits Lillian throws Helen a party. There, she meets the man who would eventually become her manager, Jeff Wald (Evan Peters). 

Jeff convinces Helen to move to LA to pursue her dreams. When they arrive, Jeff’s career takes off as Helen becomes stuck in the housewife life. She watches Lillian’s career grow as she joins the fight for women’s rights. Inspired by her friend, Helen traps Jeff in a room and makes him pester Columbia records until he strikes a deal.

One night while Helen is putting her daughter to sleep, inspiration strikes, and “I Am Woman” is born. Despite what the male big-wigs at Columbia think, the song skyrockets on the charts and becomes the unofficial anthem for women worldwide. 

As far as biographical films go, this is a very paint by the numbers one. The film felt safe. No risks were taken to show a different side of Reddy. We don’t get any background or childhood memories; it just kicks off with Helen as an adult. And while this was a nice change of pace, we never actually see why Helen loves music so much. We never see much about her life or her process for writing songs. It’s just Marriage and career. The whole movie feels like they’re constantly stepping on the gas then hitting the breaks.

I thought Cobham-Hervey did a lovely job as Reddy; she adds a real sweetness to the role that makes you want to jump through the screen and hug her. That being said, I was actually more interested in Lillian Roxon’s story. Her character had so much more meat to chew on. 

Surprisingly, the film also lacked the uplifting feeling I believe it was going for. There are undertones of feminism sprinkled throughout, but there was hardly anything empowering shown.  

In conclusion, I Am Woman is a lackluster biopic. The cinematography was gorgeous, the acting was great, and the songs were superb, but the actual story fell flat.