Blinded by the Light (2019 film)

Blinded by the Light is a 2019 British comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha. It was inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and his love of the works of Bruce Springsteen.[5][6][7] Manzoor co-wrote the script,[8] with Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. It is based on Manzoor's 2007 memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll.[9] Set in the town of Luton in 1987 Thatcherite Britain, the film tells the coming-of-age story of Javed, a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager whose life is changed after he discovers the music of Springsteen. Viveik Kalra stars in the lead role, along with Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir and Nell Williams in supporting roles.

Blinded by the Light
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGurinder Chadha
Produced by
  • Jane Barclay
  • Gurinder Chadha
  • Jamal Daniel
Written by
Based onGreetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll
by Sarfraz Manzoor
Starring
Music byA. R. Rahman
CinematographyBen Smithard
Edited byJustin Krish
Production
company
  • Levantine Films
  • INGENIθUS
  • Bend It Films
  • Cornerstone Films
Distributed byEntertainment One Films
Release date
  • 27 January 2019 (2019-01-27) (Sundance)
  • 9 August 2019 (2019-08-09) (United Kingdom)
Running time
117 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[2]
Box office$18.1 million[3][4]

The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival[10] and was released by Entertainment One in the United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand on 9 August 2019, and by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema in the United States and other countries.[11] on 16 August 2019.[12] Blinded by the Light received positive reviews from critics, and also received nominations for Best Film and Best Actor (for Kalra) at the 2019 SIFF Awards.

Plot

In 1987, Javed Khan and his family – Pakistani migrant parents Malik and Noor, his sister Shazia, and his cousin Yasmeen – live in Luton, England during Thatcherism. Javed likes contemporary rock music, which Malik disapproves of. Javed writes poetry and lyrics for his best friend Matt's band, but Matt critiques Javed's work for being depressing.

Javed feels out of place at his new school, where he is one of two South Asian students; the other, Roops, is a fan of "The Boss". In Ms. Clay's writing class, Javed develops a crush on a student activist named Eliza and becomes interested in the writing assignments. Javed talks to Ms. Clay after class about his poetry and diaries. During lunch Roops approaches him and gives him two Bruce Springsteen cassette tapes, calling Springsteen "the direct line to all that is true in this shitty world." Javed faces constant racism from his peers and neighbours, and Malik forbids him to socialise, insisting he "follow the Jews" in his school because of their success as a people.

Javed is rejected as a writer by the school paper. At the same time, Vauxhall Motors lays off Malik. Frustrated by racism and Malik's inability to understand him, Javed discards his poems on the night of the Great Storm of 1987. After listening to the Springsteen tapes, the lyrics immediately speak to him, and he recovers his poems. At school, Javed excitedly tells Roops that Springsteen knows exactly how he feels. Inspired to continue writing, he submits his poetry to Ms. Clay. A neighbour, Mr. Evans, recovers one of Javed's poems that decries the National Front, who are planning a local march. As a World War II veteran, Mr. Evans sympathizes with Javed's feelings and calls the poem brilliant, but Javed's parents are less appreciative.

Javed submits a piece about Springsteen to the newspaper. Meanwhile, Malik becomes aggravated over mounting bills and Yasmeen's upcoming wedding. Javed takes a job with Matt's father, also a Springsteen fan, at his flea market. Matt's father helps Javed impress Eliza by singing Springsteen songs.

Javed asks out Eliza, steeling his nerves with Springsteen songs. The two kiss, and Javed gives Eliza a poem, which she loves. Ms. Clay enjoys his poems and arranges an unpaid internship at the Herald. Javed and Roops lock themselves in the school radio station and play Springsteen, briefly getting in trouble. Amid more racist intimidation, Eliza invites Javed to meet her parents; Javed tries to hide his discomfort.

At the Herald, Javed gets paid after an article he wrote about racism is chosen for the front page. Javed uses the money to buy tickets for a Springsteen concert on Yasmeen's wedding day. Before his parents arrive at the wedding, National Front members assault Malik. Upset that Javed withheld money from the family, Malik rips up the tickets. Javed stuns his parents by telling them he does not want to be their son.

At school, Eliza chastises Javed for abandoning his family and using them as an excuse to stop seeing her. In class, Ms. Clay tells Javed his Springsteen essay won him attendance to a lecture at Monmouth College in New Jersey, near where Springsteen grew up. Javed initially declines, knowing his father will disallow him, but changes his mind. Malik tells Javed that if he leaves, he will not be allowed to return.

Javed and Roops take the trip to the States. It inspires Javed to write something new. Back home, Noor tells Malik to reconcile with Javed and reminds him that he left his own family and country at a young age. Eliza recruits Javed's family to show up in support when he reads his winning essay. Instead of reading his essay, Javed talks about how "Blinded By The Light" mirrors his father's troubles. Everyone is moved. He reconciles with Eliza and thanks her for inviting his family. Malik reconciles with Javed and tells him that he has listened to Springsteen and admires the themes of working hard and respecting one's family. As Javed leaves for university, he and Malik listen to Springsteen together.

Cast

Reception

Box office

Blinded by the Light has grossed $11.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $5.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $17.2 million.[3]

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Where'd You Go, Bernadette, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged and Good Boys, and was projected to gross around $4 million from 2,307 theatres in its opening weekend.[13] It made $1.4 million on its first day, and went on to debut to $4.5 million, finishing ninth. Opening night audiences were 53% male and 47% female, 54% over 35 years old, and 63% Caucasian, 17% Asian, 17% Hispanic and 3% African American. Rival studios argued that Warner Bros. should have begun with a limited release to build audience interest, and that the film's August date was too close to that of Yesterday, a British film with some surface similarities.[14]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 245 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "Like a life-affirming rock anthem, Blinded by the Light hits familiar chords with confidence and flair, building to a conclusion that leaves audiences cheering for an encore."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 4.5 out of 5 stars.[14]

Johnny Oleksinski of The New York Post calls it "the feel-good movie of the year".[17] Jordan Ruimy of The Playlist calls it "one of the most joyous and exhilarating movies you will see this year".[18] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly calls it an ode to "the power of music".[19] Anthony Ray Bench of Film Threat calls it "a feel-good movie that tackles a bunch of tough topics, from politics, race, family traditions, social frustrations, and romance" yet "never feels preachy or overly cheesy."[20] Adam Chitwood of Collider calls it "a rapturously joyous, heartfelt, and genuinely insightful film not just about The Boss, but about the personal nature and power of music."[21]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety calls it "the sort of unguarded drama they used to make in the ‘80s — a coming-of-age tale of unabashed earnestness — but it’s also a delirious and romantic rock ‘n’ roll parable" that is "a more incandescent ode to the life force of pop music than any film ever adapted from the work of Nick Hornby."[22] Bedatri Datta Choudhury of Vague Visages says that, while "Springsteen takes the American dream and helps everyone navigate through its dismantling," Chadha "makes it speak to an entirely different country and a whole new generation."[23]

At the 2019 SIFF Awards in the Seattle International Film Festival, Blinded by the Light received nominations for Best Film (for director Gurinder Chadha) and Best Actor (for Viveik Kalra).[24] In July 2019, Ethan Anderson of /Film listed Blinded by the Light as the eighth best film of 2019 so far.[25] A critics' survey by IndieWire listed Blinded by the Light as one of the eight best films of Summer 2019.[26]

Soundtrack

Springsteen allowed twelve of his songs to be used in the soundtrack and it features several Springsteen rarities, including the first performance of "The River", from the No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden in 1979 and an acoustic rendition of "The Promised Land" that Springsteen performed in 2014 at Washington, D.C.'s National Mall. The soundtrack also showcases a number of Springsteen's classics such as "Badlands", "Hungry Heart" and a 1975 acoustic recording of "Thunder Road" performed at The Roxy Theatre.

The soundtrack contains a previously unreleased Springsteen song "I'll Stand by You", which was originally written for inclusion in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.[27]

Track listing
Blinded by the Light: Music from the Motion Picture
No.TitleLength
1."Ode to Javed / Javed's Poem – A.R. Rahman" 
2."It's a Sin – Pet Shop Boys" 
3."The Sun Always Shines on T.V. – a-ha" 
4.""The Boss of Us All" (dialogue)" 
5."Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen" 
6.""You Should Be Listening to Our Music" (dialogue)" 
7.""I Never Knew Music Could Be Like This" (dialogue)" 
8."The River – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – 21 September 1979) (previously unavailable on an album)" 
9.""Number One Paki Film" (dialogue)" 
10."Badlands – Bruce Springsteen" 
11."Cover Me – Bruce Springsteen" 
12."Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Live at The Roxy Theater, West Hollywood, CA – 18 October 1975)" 
13."Get Outta My Way Fascist Pigs – Amer Chadha-Patel" 
14.""Do It for Me" (dialogue)" 
15."Prove It All Night – Bruce Springsteen" 
16."Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen" 
17.""You, Me and Bruce" (dialogue)" 
18."Because the Night – Bruce Springsteen" 
19."Maar Chadapa – Heera" 
20."The Promised Land - Bruce Springsteen (Live on The National Mall, Washington, D.C. – 11 November 2014)" 
21."Blinded by the Light – Bruce Springsteen" 
22."Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen" 
23."I'll Stand by You – Bruce Springsteen (previously unreleased studio recording)" 
24."For You My Love – A.R. Rahman (new original song for film)" 

References
  1. "BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (2019) (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  2. Verhoeven, Beatrice; Williams, Trey (23 April 2019). "10 Riskiest, Priciest Summer Movie Gambles, From 'Dark Phoenix' to 'Detective Pikachu'". TheWrap. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  3. "Blinded by the Light (2019) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  4. "Blinded By the Light (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  5. Ehrlich, David (28 January 2019). "'Blinded by the Light' Review: An Ecstatic Story About the Power of Springsteen — Sundance". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. Tartaglione, Nancy (11 April 2018). "Gurinder Chadha's 'Blinded By The Light' Blessed By Bruce Springsteen; Cast Set". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  7. Manzoor, Sarfraz (27 July 2019). "Bruce Springsteen changed my life… and so did my best friend Amolak". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. Lee, Benjamin (28 January 2019). "Blinded by the Light review – Bruce Springsteen inspires mawkish misfire". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  9. "How Sarfraz Manzoor's love for Bruce Springsteen's music inspired "Blinded by the Light"". CBS This Morning. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  10. "Sundance Unveils Politics-Heavy Lineup Featuring Ocasio-Cortez Doc, Feinstein Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  11. "New Line Confirms $15M Deal For Bruce Springsteen-Infused 'Blinded By The Light'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  12. Pedersen, Erik (16 July 2019). "Warner Bros' Sesame Street Pic Moved Back Five Months; 'Just Mercy' Gets Christmas Limited Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  13. Rubin, Rebecca (13 August 2019). "With Five More New Releases, Can Any Movie Break Through at the Box Office in August". Variety. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  14. D'Alessandro, Anthony (18 August 2019). "How Universal Is Reviving The R-Rated Comedy & Making 'Good Boys' Great At The B.O. With A $21M Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  15. "Blinded by the Light (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  16. "Blinded by the Light Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  17. Oleksinski, Johnny (29 January 2019). "'Blinded by the Light' is already the feel-good movie of the year". New York Post. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  18. "'Blinded By The Light': The Transformative Power Of Bruce Springsteen Fuels This Excellent Crowdpleaser [Sundance Review]". The Playlist. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  19. "'Blinded by the Light' is a tender, heartfelt ode to the music of Bruce Springsteen: Sundance review". Entertainment Weekly. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  20. Bench, Anthony Ray (30 January 2019). "Blinded by the Light". Film Threat. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  21. Chitwood, Adam (29 January 2019). "'Blinded by the Light' Review: A Joyous, Poignant Ode to Bruce Springsteen". Collider. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  22. Gleiberman, Owen (28 January 2019). "Sundance Film Review: 'Blinded by the Light'". Variety. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  23. Choudhury, Bedatri Datta (13 May 2019). "New York Indian Film Festival Review: Gurinder Chadha's 'Blinded by the Light'". Vague Visages. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  24. "SIFF 2019 Award Winners". SIFF. Seattle International Film Festival. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  25. Anderton, Ethan (1 July 2019). "Ethan Anderton's Top 10 Movies of 2019 So Far". /Film. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  26. Ehrlich, David (26 August 2019). "The 8 Best Movies of Summer 2019 — IndieWire Critics Survey". IndieWire. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  27. Lifton, Dave. "The Story Behind Every Bruce Springstein Song in 'Blinded by the Light'". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
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