The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

100% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(7,091 ratings)

From the time he was a high-school student in Lubbock, Texas until his tragic death at age 22 in 1959, Buddy Holly ignored the condemnation by townspeople and his conservative relatives and dedicated his life to the new music he became famous for performing: rock 'n roll. Gary Busey stars as Buddy… More From the time he was a high-school student in Lubbock, Texas until his tragic death at age 22 in 1959, Buddy Holly ignored the condemnation by townspeople and his conservative relatives and dedicated his life to the new music he became famous for performing: rock 'n roll. Gary Busey stars as Buddy Holly in this widely acclaimed big-screen biography and sings well enough on camera for the film's adapted musical score to win an Oscar. Among the classic songs by Buddy Holly and the Crickets which can be heard are: Oh Boy, That'll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, and Not Fade Away. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Steve Rash
Written By: John Goldrosen, Robert Gittler
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1978 Wide
On DVD: Sep 7, 1999
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Gary Busey received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for playing the rock 'n roll legend in this entertaining biopic.
Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media
Mild bio of '60s music icon with great music, some language.
Richard T. Jameson, Parallax View
[W]hat really puts the movie over is the actor in the title role, Gary Busey.
Tony Medley, tonymedley.com
An exceptionally good musical biopic with a sensational performancy by Busey
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
The Buddy Holly Story moves us with the joyfulness of its music and the honest sentiment aroused in us by this gawky, shy rock singer and songwriter.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

If you want to see the promise and potential of Gary Busey before a drug-induced psychosis enveloped his entire being, this is the film to watch. Busey's portrayal of the legendary rock-n-roll pioneer is absolutely brilliant. He even sings all of Buddy's songs himself. Gary… More
If you want to see the promise and potential of Gary Busey before a drug-induced psychosis enveloped his entire being, this is the film to watch. Busey's portrayal of the legendary rock-n-roll pioneer is absolutely brilliant. He even sings all of Buddy's songs himself. Gary Busey is a walking, talking testament to the belief that the line between genius and madness is a thin one. Much like Buddy Holly himself, Busey is a star that burned out all too quickly.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Probably the best work Gary Busey has ever done.
Anthony L

Good bio on the famous rock 'n' roller! I particularly enjoyed the cricket scene!
Mark H

Gary Busey not only did his own singing, but even lost 32 lbs to play Buddy Holly in this sensational musical biography of the singer from Lubbock Texas. Despite reportedly playing fast and loose with facts, the film is extremely entertaining. Busey was rightfully nominated for an… More
Gary Busey not only did his own singing, but even lost 32 lbs to play Buddy Holly in this sensational musical biography of the singer from Lubbock Texas. Despite reportedly playing fast and loose with facts, the film is extremely entertaining. Busey was rightfully nominated for an Oscar for his effective portrayal.
Wu C

Nicely done loosely based biopic on the life of Buddy Holly. The performance by Gary Busey is fantastic and unfortunately he's never been better.
Jared H

Gary Busey actually gives an amazingly sincere and believable performance as the late great Buddy Holly in this rock solid biopic. It's every bit as good as other great musical biopics I've seen, and what I liked about it, besides Busey's excellent performance, was that… More
Gary Busey actually gives an amazingly sincere and believable performance as the late great Buddy Holly in this rock solid biopic. It's every bit as good as other great musical biopics I've seen, and what I liked about it, besides Busey's excellent performance, was that it took its time showing us the music. We get some great lengthy scenes of pure performance...and man did Buddy Holly have some classics. Busey actually sings and plays his own guitar, seamlessly making us believe that he is a rock star, and one of the first "rock stars" ever, at that. Really impressive stuff.
Matthew L

This was one of Busey's best movies and he did an excellent job with this movie! He even looked like geeky Buddy Holly and I thought it hit home. The story was a little bit all over the place but laid his life out pretty well. What is even better is that Busey sang all original… More
This was one of Busey's best movies and he did an excellent job with this movie! He even looked like geeky Buddy Holly and I thought it hit home. The story was a little bit all over the place but laid his life out pretty well. What is even better is that Busey sang all original songs and lost weight for this part. I had no idea he played the Apollo and went on tour with Sam Cooke. Its too bad Busey went downhill because he is a pretty good actor and this movie proved it.
ken j

this movie i would recommend to anyone that is into buddy holly just a great great bio pic maybe the one and only great gary busey perfomance out of all the movies he has done
Lee K

although i dont like reading reviews on biopics that say there were alot of inaccuracies, and hearing that the original member of the crikets backed out because of these inacuracies doesnt help its cause but i tell you something, if you get a chance to watch one thing gary busey did… More
although i dont like reading reviews on biopics that say there were alot of inaccuracies, and hearing that the original member of the crikets backed out because of these inacuracies doesnt help its cause but i tell you something, if you get a chance to watch one thing gary busey did in his career watch this, he actually transforms himself into buddy holly and does all the singing in the film as well. great movie