The cast of this film also makes the problems with the script considerably less glaring.
But the good heart and driving energy of this film make these and other missteps only temporary distractions. 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 never fear, the couple is reunited before the closing credits, with a Springsteen lyric offered, by the girlfriend no less, as the implausible explanation. For example, Javed has several touching scenes with his girlfriend, only to decide inexplicably that the relationship is no longer worthwhile.
There are several subplot developments that strain credulity or just seem silly and unnecessary. Chadha is on firmer footing when she portrays the broader immigrant experience and offers her critique of Margaret Thatcher’s economic and social policies.
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. Here, Chadha seems less self-confident and less certain about her material. 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.
Blinded by the light movie review how to#
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. As Javed plots his future, the music of Bruce Springsteen becomes a guide map as well as a personal obsession. Going against the wishes of his father, Javed wants to leave Luton, go to university in Manchester and pursue a career as a writer. 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. 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. 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. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in the powerful lyrics. 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. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes 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. 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.