Review of Blinded by the Light (2019) by Metaflix — 21 Aug 2019

There have been loads of musical bio-pics coming from across the pond in recent memory, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to ‘Rocketman’ to ‘Yesterday.’ At the very least they’ve all been entertaining, though a fair share of the credit must be given to the strength of the soundtracks they’ve utilized. ‘Blinded by the Light,’ which is based on the music of Bruce Springsteen, is no different, while being thematically similar in many ways to 2016’s ‘Sing Street.’.

The story takes place in 1987 during the austerity measures of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, where a teenager of Pakistani descent confronts social bias, familial strife, and yearns for a girlfriend. He’s a naturally gifted writer and his views on life are further sharpened upon the discovery of Bruce Springsteen’s music.

The plot certainly doesn’t break any new ground, nor does it necessarily need to. This is a prototypical what-you-see is what-you-get feel good picture that starts off rather mundane but finishes strong and is worth the price of admission.