Blinded by the Light

New Line Cinema | Release Date: August 16, 2019

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 91 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

MglovesfunJul 6, 2020

While generally well done and with some sincere emotion, there's not a hint of originality anywhere in this movie. It's a standard coming-of-age, teenage boy rebels against his strict father movie.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

Darius11Aug 16, 2019

Way too cringe. I love Springsteen but this film is awful. The writing is dull predicable and not funny. The whole film is full of 80's clichés with no originality. I wanted this film to be good but its the polar opposite of why artists likeWay too cringe. I love Springsteen but this film is awful. The writing is dull predicable and not funny. The whole film is full of 80's clichés with no originality. I wanted this film to be good but its the polar opposite of why artists like Springsteen are great. Negatives - Cheesy , Bad writing, Bad acting , Stereotypical, Not funny. Positives - Good soundtrack… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

All this user's reviews

JLuis_001Sep 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, thePredictable 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

All this user's reviews

tropicAcesAug 17, 2019

[cringe]
[clichè]
[“oh I like this song”]
*rinse, repeat for two hours*

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

All this user's reviews

MarshallCavalliAug 16, 2019

Blinded by the Light is an average heart warming story, with a Bruce Springsteen paint job.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

crankyermaAug 16, 2019

Know what's even better than going out to see this film which features Bruce Springsteen's music? Staying home and listening to Bruce Springsteen's music.

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

All this user's reviews

amheretojudgeSep 16, 2019

Just as The Boss and his music, the film has a rocking pace, it will surf right past you, smoothly.

Blinded By The Light The co-writer and director Gurinder Chadha is only looking for a sweet film. And he makes it. Simple and catchy. TheJust as The Boss and his music, the film has a rocking pace, it will surf right past you, smoothly.

Blinded By The Light

The co-writer and director Gurinder Chadha is only looking for a sweet film. And he makes it. Simple and catchy. The musical isn't actually a musical and this drama isn't always a drama and as far as a coming of age genre is concerned, you'd have to jump decades back to inhale it properly with a joyous smile and I don't just mean plot wise but filmmaking wise too. First of all, let me come out and say that I may not be the person you should be listening to when it comes to this project- or any for that matter.

Primarily, because there is a lot I can resemble, especially in its lead character. Not to say that I go through those exact series of.. whatever, but if it was 1987, I could easily see myself there. So why was this film buzzed so much other than for political reasons- that's not a good thing to presume. Well, it is because the characters are three dimensional and the world is fairly balanced.

These two factors that often film forgets to fill it in with, leads to a disastrous experience for the viewers. No matter how eccentric your concept is and how big a star you have in your pocket or how commercially fulfilling the film is. Basically, what film can actually honk you with, is to show that authenticity gets a much better, louder and loving response than break-a-leg attitude does. Also, there is the Eastern culture you get to explore with a hint of English-ness, not collided but physically separated. Blinded By The Light is an homage to Bruce Springsteen and his impact on every single being, music lover or not, his lyrics cut through all the pretentious trouble we every now and then think we have.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

All this user's reviews

DukeJonOct 7, 2020

Story about a selfish individual who abandons his family so he can follow the prophet that is Bruce Springsteen. Main character is unlikeable and the story is full of the usual tropes you can see a mile away. Presents a very unflattering viewStory about a selfish individual who abandons his family so he can follow the prophet that is Bruce Springsteen. Main character is unlikeable and the story is full of the usual tropes you can see a mile away. Presents a very unflattering view of 1980's UK, a country seemingly inhabited entirely by white racist bigots. With movies like this most of the enjoyment is all the period music they throw your way.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

IsaacJAug 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, ofGurinder 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

All this user's reviews

Mauro_LanariDec 19, 2019

(Mauro Lanari)
Provided that one doesn't confuse the being helped to survive thanks to the Boss with having the existence saved by Bruce, music, art or who knows what else.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews