In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
The release of Danny Boyle’s “Yesterday” two months ago created a cushion for a film like “Blinded by the Light.” The Beatles-inspired film gave me a good barometer to measure this Bruce Springsteen homage movie. “Blinded by the Light” has been gaining serious buzz since its debut at Sundance which automictically gives me some sort of hope going into this film. I will say, “Blinded by the Light” is an inspiring and personal film that Bruce Springsteen fans (and non) can enjoy in the theater.
“Blinded by the Light,” based in 1980s Luton, stars Viveik Kalra as Javed, a 16-year-old, first-generation English born from two Pakistani parents. Javed and his traditionalist father (Kulvinder Ghir) butt heads often over Javed embracing his English culture and his love for writing. When Javed discovers Bruce Springsteen from his new friend Roops (Aaron Pharuga), he finds new confidence in himself which changes his life forever. The performances from the general cast are pretty good, nobody really disappoints but at the same time, no one necessarily blows you away. Viveik does a great job carrying the film and has pretty good chemistry with Pharuga and the rest of the cast throughout. The film is definitely heartfelt and funny in many parts.
The actual story is a mixed bag for me because I think it bites off more than it can chew. Starting with the positives, the family storyline feels very personal and raw and a lot of people can relate to Javed’s struggle. I really wish the film focused more on this because it’s the best aspect of the movie and I felt the rawest and most fleshed out. The movie having to deal with other subplots took away from how heavy the family dynamic could have been. Javed also develops a relationship with Roops which is pretty decent but there is a love interest in Eliza (Nell Williams) which did feel forced which I think the film could have done without. Both characters kind of fall in love and it didn’t feel genuine and was really only there because these kinds of movies require a love story of sorts. “Blinded by the Light” also attempts to speak on the racism going on towards the Pakistani community in England from radical racist groups in the ’80s. While the message is very important, I did feel like this was not the right platform to speak on it and felt like another subplot smashed in there. To sum this up, the script is trying to tell too many stories and doesn’t let all the subplots flourish.
Gurinder Chadha of “Bend It Like Beckham” fame does a serviceable job from the director’s chair. The music of the film is automatically great because you have a Bruce Springsteen soundtrack attached to it. I do feel like the movie doesn’t smoothly implement the music during some spots of the film and it does appear awkward at times. I did like how the lyrics of the songs appear throughout and helped to emphasize the themes of the songs. The technical elements of the film aren’t anything to write home about but nonetheless, serviceable to the movie. All in all, good, not great from Gurinder Chadha but that’s all you need for this type of movie.
“Blinded by the Light” is definitely a great time at the movies for all ages. Terrific music, good performances, and amazing messages sprinkled throughout give director Gurinder Chadha another notch on her belt. Catch this one and support in the theater while you can.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray & DVD November 19th
