Blinded by the Light was one of the under-the-radar films that I was excited for. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch this while it was in theaters; I had to settle with the Blu-Ray. Being that I am a fan of Springsteen, my enjoyment factor of the film was boosted. However, this is still a solid coming-of-age film.
My biggest positive has to be the way the director, Gurinder Chadha, incorporated Springsteen's discography. I think Springsteen's hits were used extremely well to drive the film's narrative and our main character's growth. I also loved the way the lyrics were visualized on the screen. It was quite simple, a Courier font that wraps/morphs around the subject of the shots. I enjoyed the way it highlighted the lyrics that impact the main character, Javed, the most. Speaking of Javed, Viveik Kalra was solid as the lead. Being that this was his first major role, I found his performance impressive.
I have some negatives with "Blinded by the Light". My biggest one would have to be how cliche the plot is. It didn't reinvent the wheel in any way; it's your typical coming-of-age story. I also wasn't a huge fan of the lack of conflict throughout the film. Sure, there's the undertone of racism against Pakistani people and father vs. son ideology clashes. However, I would have liked Javed to encounter these conflicts earlier on in the film. "Blinded by the Light" relies heavily on the "feel-good" aspects of the film. I feel that it should have shot for some more realistic, grittier aspects that were present throughout the film. This is, of course, more of a personal preference; I guess it's the realist in me.
Overall, I found a lot of enjoyment with Blinded by the Light. The great use of Springsteen's music, as well as Kalra's solid acting debut, outweighs a weak plot. Fans of Springsteen, like myself, will find a lot to love in the film.
7.2/10
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