Bruce Springsteen

(On Cable TV, April 2020) The musical flashbacks continue apace with Blinded by the Light, following into the footsteps of musical biopics of other acts such as The Beatles, Elton John and Queen. But while this film idolizes Bruce Springsteen, it takes a slightly different approach than the straight-up life retelling. More political, more personal than a biography or a Yesterday-style comic homage, it follows a British teenager of South Asian ethnicity in Thatcher’s England as he discovers Springsteen, becomes a better person and travels to the United States to meet his idol. While the Boss’ music occupies a central place in Blinded by the Light, much of it is a journey of self-discovery and affirmation, with many subplots being familiar riffs on immigrant families adapting to their new surroundings. Viveik Kalra makes for a likable lead, with Nell Williams making a good romantic foil. Politically, it’s a film that doesn’t miss an opportunity to highlight the commonalities between working-class people on both sides of the Atlantic. While Blinded by the Light, like many musical-themed pictures, doesn’t quite work if you don’t already idolize the featured artist, it’s watchable enough, amusing, honest and joyous. Better yet, it doesn’t attempt to rewrite an artist’s biography.