Blinded by the Light

Name: Blinded by the Light
Genre: Biography, Drama, Comedy, Music, Musical
Released: August 16, 2019
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Aaron Phagura, Billy Barratt, David Hayman, Dean-Charles Chapman, Frankie Fox

2019

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Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 91 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 91 Ratings

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Blinded By The Light

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: August 16, 2019 | Not Rated

Starring: Aaron Phagura, Billy Barratt, David Hayman, Dean-Charles Chapman, Frankie Fox, Kit Reeve, Kulvinder Ghir, Lee Barnett, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Nikita Mehta, Rob Brydon, Ronak Singh Chadha Berges, Tara Divina, Viveik Kalra

Summary: Inspired by a true story, based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll, Blinded by the Light tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra), a British teen of Pakistani descent growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writesInspired by a true story, based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll, Blinded by the Light tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra), a British teen of Pakistani descent growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in the powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.… Expand

Director: Gurinder Chadha

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Comedy, Music, Musical

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 118 min

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Critic Reviews

The Playlist Jordan Ruimy

Jan 30, 2019

This is one of the most joyous and exhilarating movies you will see this year and because there is so much passion flowing out from the music, screenplay, and acting, you totally forgive the film when it strays into the predictable and even a little bit of corniness. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Aug 13, 2019

Warm, funny, humane and deeply sincere, this ode to Bruce Springsteen, breaking free and belonging isn’t content merely to revel in Springsteen’s greatest hits — although it does, with vibrant, vicarious exhilaration. It delves into the singular power of music, and by extension art itself, to make its audience feel comprehended. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Aug 16, 2019

Whether it's on a large screen now or a small one later, Blinded by the Light represents such a sweet, easy-to-relate-to story that it deserves to be seen, at the least, by anyone who has shown a little faith that there's magic in the arts -- either in music, or a darkened theater. Read full review

Caroline Siede

Aug 13, 2019

A cheerful, cheesy coming-of-age story that evokes the earnest films of the era in which it’s set, Blinded By The Light is not one for the schmaltz-averse. Yet as with Chadha’s "Bend It Like Beckham" and "Bride & Prejudice," there’s some appreciably meaty stuff beneath its toe-tapping, crowd-pleasing surface. Read full review

David Sims

Aug 15, 2019

Chadha is showing how art, be it familiar or far from one’s comfort zone, can inspire a sense of freedom. Blinded by the Light does that wonderfully, in a jubilant story that’s told with grounded honesty. Read full review

Liam Lacey

Aug 15, 2019

While Chadha includes a few gritty nuggets about the psychological cost of immigration, the problems are mostly smothered in a warm jelly of sentimentality, a surfeit of stock characters and an exhausting succession of feel-good breakthroughs. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Aug 15, 2019

You can watch 100 movies and never see such joyless joy as in Blinded by the Light. Read full review

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User Reviews

MondayQB

Aug 17, 2019

Delightful, feel good, but thoughtful movie. You can’t help but root for the the main character. And this movie lets you walk in the shoes of immigrants who are hardworking and trying to make a life for their family. A must watch for anyone with a heart.

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

DerekReide

Sep 20, 2019

'Blinded by the Light' is incredibly awe-inspiring, meaningful, and an awesome movie, period. Definitely my top three this year, so far. From the moment this film began, it was clear that the message of this movie was to always follow your dreams. Nowadays, you'd never really get a film this'Blinded by the Light' is incredibly awe-inspiring, meaningful, and an awesome movie, period. Definitely my top three this year, so far. From the moment this film began, it was clear that the message of this movie was to always follow your dreams. Nowadays, you'd never really get a film this impactful, but I am happy to say that this film does a flawless job stating what they want to say to the audience. Definitely a must-watch for all Springsteen fans and non-Springsteen fans alike.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

JumpCut_Online

Oct 20, 2019

Blinded By The Light is perfectly poised to be the runaway feel-good hit of the summer, and it is almost impossible not to be charmed by it. A sublime slice of pure escapism, this film is the toe-tapping embodiment of joy that we all need right now.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MarkHReviews

Sep 4, 2019

The core story of “Blinded by the Light,” which focuses on the inevitable tensions between father and son, is so moving and so compelling that it overcomes the movie’s flaws. Javed longs for a world outside Luton (a UK city of about 200,000 people). Going against the wishes of his father,The core story of “Blinded by the Light,” which focuses on the inevitable tensions between father and son, is so moving and so compelling that it overcomes the movie’s flaws. Javed longs for a world outside Luton (a UK city of about 200,000 people). Going against the wishes of his father, Javed wants to leave Luton, go to university in Manchester and pursue a career as a writer. As Javed plots his future, the music of Bruce Springsteen becomes a guide map as well as a personal obsession. Listening to Springsteen on his ever-present Walkman in the late 1980s, Javed learns how to woo his first girlfriend, to assert his independence and to recognize there is a big world outside Luton that he has yet to experience.

Director Gurinder Chadha (“Bend It Like Beckham”) has made a career of exploring the immigrant experience in the UK, with focus on the unique plight of women uprooted to a new culture with little or no access to formal power or personal independence. Here, Chadha seems less self-confident and less certain about her material. For example, the script incorporates a fairly traditional declaration of independence: “I’m following my dreams, not yours, Dad.” But to make certain the audience gets the point, this scene is repeated, twice more. Chadha is on firmer footing when she portrays the broader immigrant experience and offers her critique of Margaret Thatcher’s economic and social policies. There are several subplot developments that strain credulity or just seem silly and unnecessary. For example, Javed has several touching scenes with his girlfriend, only to decide inexplicably that the relationship is no longer worthwhile. But never fear, the couple is reunited before the closing credits, with a Springsteen lyric offered, by the girlfriend no less, as the implausible explanation.

And because the film involves music, there are some painfully awkward scenes of the principals literally dancing in the streets, scenes that make “High School Musical” seem like high art. But the good heart and driving energy of this film make these and other missteps only temporary distractions. The cast of this film also makes the problems with the script considerably less glaring. Viviek Kalra as Javed is outstanding. The other actors portraying members of his family are compelling and interesting.

The source material for this film is Sarfraz Manzoor’s 2007 memoir “Greetings from Bury Park.” Manzoor, who co-wrote the script with Chadha and her husband, is a noted writer, reporter, director and documentarian. His memoir chronicles the impact of his father’s death in 2005 and the ubiquitous presence of Springsteen’s music throughout his late adolescence.

As an homage to Manzoor’s father, this film is funny, sad and consistently moving. At the screening I attended, there were a few sniffles and grabs for Kleenex as the film concluded. Unfortunately, the film’s kind heart and good intentions are unsupported by a serviceable script.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Sep 21, 2019

Predictable to the bone but surprisingly more emotional and resonant than it seemed at first sight and I say this because having seen the trailers I wasn't really interested and also partly because I'm not a Springsteen's fan.

However, the film has a good message, it's entertaining andPredictable to the bone but surprisingly more emotional and resonant than it seemed at first sight and I say this because having seen the trailers I wasn't really interested and also partly because I'm not a Springsteen's fan.

However, the film has a good message, it's entertaining and humble. That might sound strange but its simplicity prevents it from getting lost in something more dramatic or pretentious and helps it to work better.

It's not a fair comparison but I couldn't help thinking about it several times when I was seeing it and that's why I mention it; Blinded by the Light is the film that Yesterday would've wanted to be.

It's a feel-good film that got things right and while it might not be a remarkable one I think it was good enough.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

IsaacJ

Aug 17, 2019

Gurinder Chadha burst into prominence with her 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham, a zesty coming of age story that broke the mould for Asian representation in British cinema… and introduced the world to modern English Rose Keira Knightley, of course. Since then, Chadha has produced aGurinder Chadha burst into prominence with her 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham, a zesty coming of age story that broke the mould for Asian representation in British cinema… and introduced the world to modern English Rose Keira Knightley, of course. Since then, Chadha has produced a filmography, wide-ranging in both genre and quality. Whilst 2010’s It’s a Wonderful Afterlife was creaky and her latest period piece Viceroy’s House rather uninspiring, Chadha appears to be back on surer ground with Blinded by the Light, an ode to Bruce Springsteen based on the memoir of real-life fanatic of the Boss and journalist Sarfraz Manzoor. Like many of Chadha’s films, Blinded deals with themes of race, culture and integration in a brazen manner… but first and foremost, like her 2002 breakout, it’s a feel-good coming of age comedy, easily accessible and perhaps somewhat trite as a sacrifice.
The story follows 16-year-old Javed (a fictionalised version of co-writer Manzoor), the bookish and rather awkward son of first-generation Pakistani immigrants (played superbly by Goodness Gracious Me alumnus Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Ganatra). It’s the middle of Thatcher era austerity in Luton; jobs are low, far-right skinheads roam the streets and the music of Bruce Springsteen has been relegated unceremoniously to “the sort of thing your dad listens to”. Javed’s life is on a definite downturn, as his aspirations to be a writer are refuted by his traditional father and his luck with the girls loiters in stupor. As soon as a friend encourages him to plug Springsteen into his Walkman (you can feel Chadha nostalgically grinning with the period detail) it takes but a few lines of Dancing in the Dark for Javed to be smitten. What follows is a coming of age tale that hits familiar beats (not least from Bend It) with shameless confidence. There’s much to appreciate in Blinded by the Light; Chadha is brilliant at conjuring likeable characters, ones with whom we can laugh, cry and dream effortlessly. Virtual newcomer Viveik Kalra holds the film up with unbridled charisma as Javed, whilst Ghir plays his father with gusto, most impressive in the more dramatic moments. The film deals (if all too broadly) with some weighty themes; in the midst of the fun, there’s lingering political angst and even scenes of shocking racial abuse. Chadha handles history thoughtfully; the comparisons to today’s Britain, for example, are present for those who want to see them but don’t feel forced. Ultimately, however, the meat of the film lies in the relationship between Javed and his father, one portrayed convincingly by both lead actors. Central to the plot also is Springsteen himself, of course, a constant Messiah in Javed’s life; here I was reminded of Danny Boyle’s Yesterday, a recent release that blindly expects you to take the Beatle’s iconic status for granted without ever exploring what makes them so great. It’s pleasing then that here Springsteen’s importance is conveyed judiciously; the way his anthems to blue collar America chime very personally with a young Pakistani from Luton is utterly believable.
Despite this, Blinded by the Light is not a film quite worthy of heralding; amidst the cleverer aspects of Chadha’s work, there’s plenty of poor choices made that leave a strangely jerky end result. Clear-cut narrative is dismissed in favour of messier storytelling; romantic subplots meander in vague directions, characters become important for ten minutes then entirely disappear and the whole affair resolves in a rushed and corny conclusion. Chadha, Manzoor and Paul Mayeda Berges’ script is problematic too; padded and cliched, it becomes increasingly lazy as the film progresses, choosing to have characters blindly quote Springsteen lyrics in an attempt at profundity that feels very stilted. The filmmakers’ love of the Boss becomes painfully clear too to the point of overindulgence (for instance we are treated to pretty much the entirety of Born to Run in a particularly stretched montage sequence). The incorporation of the music in the story as well becomes increasingly odd, with quasi-musical numbers and distracting graphics of lyrics floating across the screen. It appears to be an unfortunate trend in Gurinder Chadha’s films that there is an abundance of flavours all thrown into the pot without enough thought into how well they will taste together. The conjunction of comedy and drama in Blinded by the Light stands starkly obvious; whilst both Goodness Gracious Me-esque humour and political commentary are done well here, the marriage between them feels slightly jarring throughout most of the film.
One might be able to overlook some of these errors if the film had the same level of charm as Bend It Like Beckham and other similar fare… but despite its unabashed earnestness, Blinded feels a little stuck in the mud and even its better aspects can’t trump a progressively perfunctory and scattered delivery.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Deviltherobot

Jan 19, 2022

One of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is boring, cringe inducing, and annoying. I dislike all the actors and the storyline. Avoid this movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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