Blinded by the Light
Drama illustrating the power of music, when a Pakistani teen living in grim Thatcher-era England discovers the working-class anthems of Bruce Springsteen. From the writer/director of Bend It Like Beckham.
"1987, Margaret Thatcher’s England. Javed, a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy, lives in the town of Luton. His father’s recent job termination and the neighborhood skinheads are a daily reminder of the difficult times he’s living in. What young Javed really wants is to be a writer—something his father doesn’t approve of or understand—and when a new friend loans him a few Bruce Springsteen cassettes, Javed is changed forever. The Boss’s working-class anthems and affirming lyrics seem to speak directly to Javed, emboldening him to find his own voice as a writer, stand up to the racism around him, and challenge his father’s rigid ideals." (Sundance Film Festival)
2019Rating: M, Offensive language114 minsUK
DramaMusicFestival & Independent
- Director:
- Gurinder Chadha ('Bend It Like Beckham', 'Bride & Prejudice', 'Viceroy's House')
- Writer:
- Gurinder ChadhaSarfraz ManzoorPaul Mayeda Berges
- Cast:
- Viveik KalraNell WilliamsHayley AtwellKulvinder GhirMeera GanatraAaron PhaguraDean-Charles ChapmanNikita MehtaRob Brydon
Blinded by the Light / Reviews
A.V. Club
Blinded By The Light is such a joyful ride that it's hard to quibble with its flaws.
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Slant Magazine
The film bottles a palpable emotion of unabashed joy, even when the rest of it seems to barely hold together.
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Associated Press
Blinded by the Light isn’t a new tune, but it’s sung with an infectious passion...
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NPR
While nothing that happens is surprising, nearly all of it is performed with soulfulness and conviction and charm.
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The New Yorker
It's a dream of inclusion that feels narrow, a vision of liberation that feels constrained...
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RogerEbert.com
Blinded by the Light, at its very best, captures the experience of being a fan, the pure exhilaration of it...
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New Zealand Herald
Blinded by the Light often feels groan-inducingly contrived rather than emotionally resonant...
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Newshub
While Blinded by the Light did not bring me joy, there's a good chance it may for others less jaded.
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News.com.au
While it's far from perfect... it's an inoffensive, feel-good and inspirational British dramedy...
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Sydney Morning Herald
The deliberately amateurish style of the musical numbers is supposed to engender spontaneity but too often looks merely cack-handed.
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Herald Sun
An invigorating Bruce Springsteen soundtrack... keeps this otherwise meandering coming-of-age flick on track.
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Chicago Reader
Chadha senselessly pivots from a corny but harmless comedy musical to a tense family drama and without doing either successfully.
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Stuff
This is the movie that the Beatles-based Yesterday should have been. A knockabout, musically literate yarn with its heart on its sleeve.
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Empire Magazine
Combining both the universality and specificity of Springsteen's music, Blinded By The Light is an exuberant anthem to the importance of music, the need to be seen and the hope of new possibilities.
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Little White Lies
Boundless enthusiasm can't disguise a paperthin plot and some knuckle-biting musical sequences.
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Time Out
Gurinder Chadha's effervescent film is a bit cheesy and extremely hard to resist.
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The Guardian
There's something so constructed and suffocating about watching a tried and tested formula not working, the over-sentimental string-pulling on show for all to see.
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Screen Daily
While this flimsy coming-of-age drama over-relies on the Boss's greatest hits for its emotional high points, "Blinded by the Light" remains a likeable and touching story about finding your own voice.
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Hollywood Reporter
Newcomer Viveik Kalra radiates enough guileless enthusiasm to carry viewers past the film's rough patches.
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Collider
I have no doubt that by the time 2019 is done, Blinded by the Light will stand as one of the year's best films.
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