At the beginning of I am Woman, a young fresh-faced Australian, Helen Reddy, exits a New York tube station past an advertisement depicting a smiling sixties house-wife next to a bottle of tomato sauce with
Evan Peters (American Animals) slithers into frame as Helen's husband—a roguish coke-snorting talent-manager whose self-interest threatens their relationship.
It's a train-wreck you can see a mile off but provides the perfect springboard for the film to explore Reddy's relationship with woman's rights.
Or, at least it would have, had writer Emma Jensen's clunky screenplay taken the time to explore it with more vigour. It's a shame, especially given Jensen's superb feminist-slanted writing in the recent Mary Shelley biopic.
Despite these missteps, the film just manages to hold itself together thanks in part to high production values and some very well-considered cinematography.
However, Reddy's depiction as the flag-bearer of woman's rights is sadly lost within this safe and formulaic biopic. I Am Woman is a serviceable and mildly entertaining film, yes, but it still feels like an opportunity missed.
Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Evan Peters, Danielle Macdonald
Director: Unjoo Moon
Running time: 116 mins
Rating: M, Drug use & offensive language
Verdict: A mildly entertaining bio-pic that hits a few flat notes.