Movie

The Buddy Holly Story

1978 · 114 min

A buoyant, affectionate rise-and-fall music biopic that gets your feet tapping before quietly breaking your heart.

Tagline: His story will have you singing, laughing, crying, cheering, and stomping your feet
Overview: A chronicle of the rise and brief career of rock 'n' roll star Buddy Holly, 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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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: warmstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
upliftingstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: music
ambition
love
friendship
death
Places: small town
big city
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: true story
ensemble
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence none
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	0
Humour	4
Realism	7
Romance	5
Tension	3
Darkness	3
Complexity	3
Emotional weight	7

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Details

Genres: drama, music
Directed by: Steve Rash
Written by: Robert Gittler
Starring: Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith, Conrad Janis, William Jordan, Maria Richwine, Amy Johnston, Dick O'Neill
Music: Joe Renzetti
Cinematography: Stevan Larner
Runtime: 114 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English

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The Buddy Holly Story

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