This summer has been full of music-themed film. We’ve had “Rocketman”, “Yesterday”, and now we have “Blinded By The Light.” Each film was different and had its own style, but for me, the only one I really felt blew me out of the water was “Rocketman”. That being said, there were definitely some pros and cons to this film as well. I’ll start off with a brief summary of the film and then put in my two cents on the content.
Related: Rocketman: A Summary and Review
The film focuses on the story of a young man named Javed. His immigrant parents moved from Pakistan to England in hopes of creating a better life for themselves and their children. Unfortunately, that’s not the case when hard work doesn’t always pay off and racism is alive and well in 1980s Luton. “Blinded By The Light” showcases very clearly some of the differences between cultures when it comes to the aspect of family. It also showed the struggles of being a teenager in a strict family, where you’re often torn between pleasing your parents and trying things for yourself in an attempt to begin your own life. Javed’s coming of age story was narrated through the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen as his words seemed to speak to Javed on a level he hadn’t experienced before. As the film neared the end, Javed’s very strained relationship with his father was saved by a speech Javed wrote using the lyrics of Springsteen.
This story was definitely a cute idea, something that was heartwarming and gave a good glimpse into the struggles that Javed and his family endured; but at the same time, it definitely wasn’t my favorite. Some of the film seemed to just be a tad bit too cheesy, scenes where Javed would be singing his heart out and others would begin dancing along with him, much like a musical, however there was something still lacking. I definitely enjoyed seeing more representation of other ethnicities on screen. With that, I had heard the film was perhaps trying to merge the American style of film with that of the Bollywood style. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something I could overtly tell. This may have been one of the reasons that some of the scenes just didn’t seem to fit with the others. Overall I thought it was a cute idea and story, but I also think it could have used some work.
Via den of geek