Blinded by the Light

Theater review. Possible spoilers. What a nice surprise this is as the summer movie season comes to an end. Clearly a passion project by director Gurinder Chadha who was born in Nairobi but grew up in London where the story is set (blue collar Luton).Based on real events, 18 year old Javed (Viveik Kalra) has come to England from Pakistan as a young boy along with his father Malik (Kulvinder Ghir), mother, Noor (Meera Ganatra), about to be married sister Yasmeen (Tara Divina) and teenage sister Shazia (Nikita Mehta). As is their tradition Malik rules the roost and while the primary bread winner, Noor helps by tailoring bales of clothing brought to her. Any additional money earned from the family all goes into Malik’s pot.It’s 1987 and the economy under PM Margaret Thatcher is strained. Malik loses his job (a real estate agent as near as I could determine) and times become more difficult than usual. In addition to economic and family strife, the family like all the Pakistani immigrants at the time, are bullied and intimidated by many of the neo-Nazi white nationalists of the blending neighborhoods.Leaving this grim backdrop for a moment, young Javed has been writing poems since a kid, but they remain unseen by anyone. Now in what appears to be the equivalent of junior college, Javed is taken under the wing of one of his teachers, Ms. Clay (an underutilized Hayley Atwell) who sees promise in him. The world changes quickly for Javed when one of his friends named Roops (Aaron Phagura) lends him a couple early Bruce Springsteen cassettes. As if struck by lightning, Springsteen’s lyrics come as if speaking directly to him. His own writing seems to have new purpose. As Javed listens to the songs with his $5 headphones and belted Walkman, we see the lyrics spill out of thin air on screen. As hokey as that might seem, it just feels right and the film shifts gears. It will do that a few times during the film. And that is a good thing. It’s almost like a bunch of little movies are thoughtfully pieced together.Javed gains confidence in his writing abilities and even approaches a classmate, Eliza (Nell Williams), for a date. Javed’s writing gets more notice as Ms. Clay submits a piece in a national competition and Javed gets a non-paying internship at The Herald newspaper. This all begins to put strain on the family relationship. The father, Malik wants nothing to do with Javed’s passion and his budding career. As is often the case, Malik strives for improvement in his and his family’s lives by moving to a country with better opportunities but also brings his old culture with him. Javed wants to embrace a new way of life and Bruce’s songs are leading him forward.This is a wonderful movie that sadly will not be seen by many if my experience means anything. My son and I were alone in a large theater on opening day in a late afternoon showing. Too bad. This is an ultimately uplifting movie that will check-off all the emotional ranges. It’s funny, sad, dramatic and fulfilling. Oh, and some great Bruce Springsteen songs along the way. Highly recommended.

Let me start with this: *Gets loudspeaker and stands on podium* "DO NOT COMPARE THIS TO 'YESTERDAY.' THEY ARE APPLES AND ORANGES."Also, this film is based on a memoir. Whoever said it was ~weird~ when the film went into the racial unrest in England missed what the movie was about. Also, there are some awkward moments with Javed because, well, he's a teenager and teenagers are awkward. It makes it more lovable.This film is so wonderful and so light-hearted and will leave you feeling really good afterwards. And it's not just about Bruce. It's about a young man in Luton, England who is Pakistani finding his voice and becoming inspired to write even more once he hears Bruce's lyrics. The music of a hard working individual speaks to Javed (the main character) and he applies it to his own life, which may seem much different than Bruce's but there is a lot of common ground. It's about how he becomes a writer, how he deals with growing up Pakistani in England, and how he can build a bridge between being an aspiring writer and being a good son. It also shows us that Bruce's music is about "not letting the hardness of the world stop you from letting the best of you slip away.” I love this film and I'm not saying it's the best movie ever but it's so endearing and that's what makes it good.

As a lifelong Bruce fan, I can say that I loved this movie. Since someone else compared this to "Yesterday", let me offer a contrary opinion.This movie had a great plot & obviously a great soundtrack. I can't say the same for "Yesterday"-- except for the music.If you love Bruce Springsteen, and you liked "Bend it like Beckham", you will like/love this movie.

First, I know a lot of people liked this movie. My wife liked it. Lots of other people I know liked it. That's fine, but here's a contrary opinion. Having seen the movie "Yesterday" - I can honestly say this is the lesser of two films that share almost exactly the same themes and character arcs. While "Yesterday" is original, funny, weird, and enjoyable, I found BBTL to be slow, predictable, and forced. Two examples: On occasion, BBTL slips into musical numbers. The actors look uncomfortable doing the song and dance, and the result looks more like their making a TV jingle commercial than staying inside the movie. I think the producers wanted something that kind of looked like a Bollywood production, but instead of going all-in, they just sort of wing it. It would have been better to have an over-the-top elaborate musical number at the end of the film, instead of what they tried to do here. The other thing that felt really forced was the unneeded political correctness lecturing that comes in during the second act. The producers felt a need to make a statement about Margaret Thatcher and her ilk ruining everything for the immigrant people in England. They hit this topic with a sledgehammer, and for me, it totally spoiled the earlier lighthearted tone of the film. They try to change gears again by the 3rd act - but it didn't really work. At the end, everything is wrapped up with a super happy ending - even though we were watching violent street riots just a few minutes earlier. I'd say, the producers of this film should study "Yesterday" carefully to see where they went off the rails. I give it 2 stars out of 5 because it does have some moments that work - but many others that feel cringe-worthy, or reveal an obvious political agenda that should not find its way into a romantic-fantasy film like this. And I like Bruce Springsteen - and the music in this film - so I don't think I went into the theater with negative expectations.

I read the book when it first came out and have looked forward for years for a film adaptation. As a lifelong Springsteen fan I was a little worried that the film may come across as an excuse to play the music just as a soundtrack, but I thought the various nuances of the various sub-plots were interwoven brilliantly. OK, there were a few corny sequences, as there are in many films concerned with the influence of music, but the overall effect was stunning. And the latest news about the Boss is that he's touring again in 2020. Can't wait.

Really great film. Honest. True. Life affirming. Well acted. Well written. Well directed. Oh, and the music ain't too bad. I laughed, cried, and watched it again. It won't be the last time. This is a keeper. The antidote to over doses of block busters and super heros - a film about hero worship? Give it a try.

Big disappointment with this film. I had been recommended it and missed it at the cinema but would have been happy to miss it completely. Obviously aimed at Springfield fans but didn’t do anything for me. The story was crass and predictable and totally unbelievable. The whole production I found second rate and a poor copy of many similar films. Understood the Asian influence and the problems within the family trying to hold onto their culture but felt it demeaned and caricatured the whole situation.Not impressed!

This film brilliantly evokes the style, atmosphere and tensions of the 1980s, succeeds in conveying the essence of a true story, and movingly highlights the challenges teenagers face as they transition to adulthood, especially when they are from ethnic minorities. A seriously inspiring film, laced with a lot of good humour and fun. Thoroughly recommended.

Excellent Excellent ExcellentEven if I didn't like Bruce Springsteen I would have been both moved and entertained by this dvd. So, so relevant and relatable. Good acting in this too. Nice to see both new and estsblished actors. A must see.