HOME MOVIE DISSES DENVER
     NEW YORK POST
     By ADAM BUCKMAN, April 29, 2000

"Take Me Home: The John Denver Story"
Sunday at 9 on WCBS/Ch. 2

    JOHN Denver couldn't have been this boring.  It just 
doesn't seem possible. If anything, this guy was an 
over-achiever whose life story should be more awe-inspiring 
than yawn-inducing. And yet, a new CBS-TV movie about his life 
makes him out to be a whimpering simp. You have to read 
between the lines of tomorrow night's movie or do a little 
research on your own to form a more-complete impression of the 
songwriter whose talent was so prodigious that most of us 
would be able to hum or recall the lyrics of at least part of 
his best-known works even if they weren't still in radio 
rotation more than 20 years after they were first recorded.
    The John Denver depicted in "Take Me Home: The John Denver 
Story"--adapted from his autobiography, according to the 
movie's credits--would appear to have been too paralyzed 
emotionally to rack up the astonishing list of accomplishments 
attributed to the real-life man. Here's a guy who lived only 
53 years, but in that time recorded about a dozen 
chart-topping hits; earned millions upon millions of dollars; 
criss-crossed the globe in support of humanitarian causes; 
performed in one sold-out arena after another; started an 
environmental foundation; established his own record label; 
learned to fly a Learjet; and built a dream house in the Rocky 
Mountains.
    Denver, who was killed in the crash of his single-engine, 
single-seat plane in October 1997, starred with George Burns 
in "Oh, God," acted in made-for-TV dramas, guest-starred on TV 
series, composed film scores, befriended Jacques Cousteau, and 
performed in such faraway places as the Soviet Union, China 
and Vietnam at a time when those places were considered 
politically off-limits to Western entertainers.  His most 
memorable songs are cultural touchstones--"Leavin' On a Jet 
Plane" (recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary), "Take Me Home, 
Country Roads," "Rocky Mountain High," "Sunshine on My 
Shoulders" and "Annie's Song" (written for his wife at a time 
of marital discord, according to the movie).  His 
greatest-hits album, released in 1974, sold 10 million copies 
and remained on the charts for two years.  Much of what he 
accomplished indeed gets mentioned in the movie--mostly in the 
form of throwaway lines inserted into the dialogue--but 
somewhere along the line, the makers of "Take Me Home" decided 
it would make for a more dramatic TV movie if they placed the 
emphasis on the soap opera aspects of his life at home, where 
his marriage fell apart following years of lengthy concert 
tours and trips abroad to help the needy.  The result is a 
movie that feels unbalanced (not to mention dry and dreary), 
with scene after scene of Denver (played by Chad Lowe, 
costumed in wig, round wire-rimmed glasses and sheepskin vest 
and lip-synching to Denver's voice in concert scenes) 
courting, marrying, and then squaring off with his wife, Annie 
(portrayed with earnestness by Kristin Davis).
    Denver's fans--and there are many, judging by the number 
of Web sites dedicated to his memory--are sure to be 
disappointed in a movie that fails to capture the epic sweep 
of their hero's life. And that's a shame, since those fans are 
the people most likely to be watching tomorrow night.

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