A Venn diagram of moviegoers who a) gravitate to music biopics; b) are fans of folk singer Tim Buckley; and c) are also fans of his son Jeff would, I’m guessing, yield a sliver of a demographic. So “Greetings From Tim Buckley,” loosely based on the true story of a tribute concert for the elder singer, is decidedly not for everyone.
It does, however, feature an impressive performance from Penn Badgley (“Gossip Girl”) as Jeff Buckley, who like his father died tragically young. Set in 1991 Brooklyn, the plot sees Jeff reluctantly making the trip from California for the show, despite never having known his famous, absentee dad (Ben Rosenfield) — shown in frequent, less-than illuminating flashbacks.
With a comely assistant concert organizer (Imogen Poots) in tow, Buckley skips rehearsals and wanders the city, occasionally busting out the nascent, operatic singing chops that he’ll showcase in his stage debut at the tribute.
Director Daniel Algrant chose well with Badgley, who transcends the rather made-for-TV vibe with a decent rendition of Buckley’s haunting falsetto. Perhaps he’ll tip off a new generation of “Gossip Girl” fans to the artist’s brief but brilliant musical career.