Blinded by the Light amazing

I actually found Blinded by the Light to be merely "decent" ("average," "mediocre," et al.). It is a coming of age/immigrant story with some worthwhile themes and conflicts, ones that are as relevant now (and in America, among other nations) as they were in 1987, when the film is set (in Britain). The fact that the movie is based on a real story and a real Bruce Springsteen fan who wrote a memoir (Greetings from Bury Park, by Sarfraz Manzoor) makes Blinded by the Light all the more noteworthy. It is genuine and earnest, its heart is in the right place, and the film offers some grit as well. But ultimately, there is not as much gravitas as there should be; the filmmakers instead lean too far toward comedy and sentimentality, in one sequence even bordering on a musical. After awhile, Blinded by the Light becomes deeper and more sobering in its mood, but then the conclusion seems too eager to resolve everything perfectly and sentimentally, again smacking of an overly convenient comedy. 

In keeping with this emphasis on convenience, convention, and comedy, the movie relies too much on montage and not enough on mise en scène (although the exterior shots of the "Job Centre," and some of the shots of the local housing area, are effective). The result is that the film's sense of "real time" is choppy and erratic at best, and a greater sense of "real time" would have aided the gravitas inherent in the material. Blinded by the Light offers little in the way of composition, and like some other digitally-filmed movies these days, the imagery lacks optimal crispness. And the narrative framing device from 1980 is fairly pointless. 

That said, I would recommend seeing it. The sociopolitical milieu and issues raised by the film are compelling, and Viveik Kalra is endearing as the adolescent protagonist, Javed Khan. Blinded by the Light is sweet and substantive, but it is also too sentimental and whimsical, both in its tone and its cinematic style. 

For the record, my favorite scene is the one where Javed and his friend  

LOL!!!!