Let me say this – “I am not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan”. I know some people in my life will not be able to understand this, looking at you Diane. I understand his place in history. He is a legend, a hall of famer, and deservedly so. I have 5-6 songs I truly love. I have leaned more “Seger”, but that came later in life when I lived in Detroit. My guess if I lived in New Jersey for several years, it would resonate more. Which is ironic, since the crux of the movie let’s you know what Springsteen sings about IS universal.
With that being said Blinded By The Light may just be one of the best movies of 2019. It’s one of those movies that “lifts you”. It’s a movie that’s good for the soul. And it achieves this while addressing how to become an adult, love, hate, obligations, ignorance, youthful rebellion, racial turmoil, family dynamics, first love, xenophobia, economic upheaval, political activism and the internal search for who we really are/want to be. And they do it with Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics as the catalyst for Javeed’s enlightenment.
This is a movie that also holds a mirror up to our current day. It tells the story of a Pakistani family in the late 80s in England. The images that are shown, the things this family endures from the community that they are trying to just be a part of is a chilling reminder that history repeats itself, over and over. And unfortunately we are seeing it in England and America right now.
There is such a joy and exuberance in this film, that it feels like the director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) is letting us know “It’s gonna be alright. Not easy, but love perseveres”. And that’s the best reason to spend your money and take two hours to watch a kid become a Springsteen fan!
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Intermittent Musings Of A Middle Aged Mind 
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