Title: Blinded by the Light
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Viveik Kalra, Dean-Charles Chapman, Nikita Mehta
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

What It Is: Javed (Kalra) is a teenager living in England in 1987. His parents immigrated from Pakistan before he was even born. This British life is the only one he’s ever known. It’s a tough life in 1980’s England for a boy who’s family is Pakistani as a huge anti-immigrant sentiment (fueled by a recession and job losses) gains ground in Thatcher’s U.K. When a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen suddenly Javed has found a muse for his working-class existence.

What We Think: There’s something to be said for a “feel-good” film and that is exactly what you get here. Javed is a great protagonist and its themes are sadly still relevant in 2019. All of the music is just so perfectly placed. Each song fits in with whatever is going on in the film. I really do think this is an immense surprise for me. I’d heard it was good but I didn’t expect it to grab me in the way it did and hold me there the whole time. Well-directed well-acted and with a script that’s razor-sharp in its wit.

Our Grade: A-, So this is one that you should check out. It’ll leave you feeling positive and probably singing one of “The Boss”s hits. For me, it was “Born to Run”. Just there stuck in my head for like three days after. This is an easy recommendation. Viveik Kalra is going to be a star and I look forward to whatever he does next. The humanity he injects into Javed is what makes this so much a must-see film. It’s funny, sadly still poignant and definitely worth the almost two-hour runtime. Yeah, that’s kinda long, but it flies by.