Beyond the Lights

Movies about big stars who suffer a crisis of conscience are not exactly rare, but not exactly standard fare either. My fave is PURE COUNTRY with George Strait, and I reviewed it for the IMDb.

What is rare is taking that formula and mixing it into a rom-com. That involves a degree of daring on the part of the producers -- and, no coincidence, there are about a dozen individuals listed as producers in this film. That folks is courage in numbers.

Even the length is daring. The flick runs almost two hours and these days only the largest production companies have the nerve, or the dollars, to go to full length.

But, as I said, nerve is something this film has plenty of.

Does it pay off? If you want me to tell you this is a polished gem, sorry, it is anything but.

But if you are looking for something memorable and entertaining, you have come to the right place.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw -- a name that is hard to forget -- really works the part. Her performance raises this film far above the current IMDb rating. (She is helped by EXTRAORDINRY H&M,ie, hair & makeup, which in turn makes the transition from regular person to Rap Star all that much more startling).

Minnie Driver, usually a standout, is lost here. In fact, pretty much everyone plays second fiddle to Gugu Mbatha-Raw, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, that is precisely why I recommend the film.

I was at the world premiere today at the Toronto International Film Festival and just wanted to say that I thought the movie was really excellent. Definitely on par with the director's other works. It very easily could have fallen into being a schmaltzy typical chick flick love story type of movie but it doesn't do that. It is a fairly predictable love story but the relationship between the 2 main characters is great and feels authentic and emotionally truthful. They had a pretty strong, palpable chemistry together. You could see a real attraction between the two on screen and only adds to the intensity. Minnie Driver was great as well as Noni's driving, determined mother and manager doing everything she could to make her daughter a star. Not really an Oscar movie but good solid directing and screenplay and really great acting performances particularly from Driver, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and (the extremely handsome and delicious) Nate Parker.

My feelings on this are basically just like every other person who saw it. It does have some biting, realistic insight into just how cruel and harsh the entertainment industry is, but the romance and the narrative are quite predictable. I probably actually enjoyed it more than my rating, but it's just way too formulaic and it's a shame when it started off better and it could've just been something more. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is really the best thing about it, delivering her all and giving even her most cliché of scenes life and passion. She's very charismatic and has a very strong screen presence, I hope she gets more roles after this because she would certainly deserve it.

Saw Beyond the Lights starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, and Minnie Driver! "Noni" played by Raw grows-up with a dream to sing and when she finally gets to super-stardom, dealing with the pressures of fame, her Manager Mother "Macy Jean" played by Driver, and influences from the Rap Music Industry puts her over the edge until she meets her savior "Kaz" the cop played by Parker who puts her life back on track.

"Kaz" helps "Noni" retreat from her controlling manager mom, the paparazzi, and music industry to take some time to reflect upon where she came from until the very moment when her career took off. After a long struggle with her self-image, being told what to do and how to do it from her manager mother and record label, "Kaz" helps "Noni" gain the courage she needs to develop her own thoughts and voice which ultimately sets her free like a "Black Bird" to become the musical artist she was meant to be, instead of what others wanted her to be.

My cinema score is 8/10! This Romantic drama Film is a great date-night movie with so many important life messages regarding self-image, being happy, love & success, so take your boo to go see it! ‪#‎maverickradio‬™

With the low IMDb rating, pop culture and romance, I was thoroughly expecting overused tropes, bad acting, and marginal writing. What I got was the complete opposite. I am not a fan of pop culture or romance movies but somehow these characters became very real for me.

In particular, I am impressed with the director's discipline. There are so many overused tropes that could easily have dominated the screen time. Instead, she hits her points and moves on.

The supporting cast was particularly impressive for their sheer believability. Hollywood too often takes the liberty "it's only a movie" or "it's Hollywood, we can totally do whatever". Instead, they stayed true.

This movie will go in my Blu-Ray collection when it finally comes out. The subtleties are impressive and worth revisiting. This is the second movie with a primarily romantic focus to achieve that honor. The first is True Romance.