Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Minnie Driver
Nate Parker
Danny Glover
Machine Gun Kelly

Gina Prince-Bythewood

116 mins.
Drama, Music
November 14, 2014

Rated PG-13 for sexual content including suggestive gestures, partial nudity, language and thematic elements. (MPAA)

“Beyond the Lights” is yet another film about what goes on behind the scenes of the entertainment industry – in this case, the music industry. The problem is that it has nothing new to say and a script that is severely lacking. (The key line is: “I see you.”) Since this subject has been broached many times before, a successful addition to this genre needs to be incisive. It needs to bring a distinctive perspective to the traditional story of the struggles of famous people, how they affect the people around them, and how they are affected by the people around them. Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood doesn’t accomplish that. I have no idea of what her distinctive point of view is. That’s the real shame here.

This film also includes other clichéd story lines: an overbearing stage mother story line (there is just a bit of nuance here, though), an “opposites attract” love story line, even a political story line. The problem is that the cumulative effect is inconsistent and arbitrary. Things seemingly happen at random: It’s as if Prince-Bythewood picked plot points out of a hat. After policeman Kaz (Nate Parker) saves pop star Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) from committing suicide, it’s revealed that he has political aspirations (or, rather, that his father has political aspirations for him). That information is dropped on the audience out-of-the-blue. (Even Noni’s suicide attempt seems to come out of nowhere. That could have worked, actually, in steadier directorial hands.) Plus, Kaz is portrayed as a naive sort of fellow, but how does that reconcile with his political plans? How can he be both things at once? That’s too much for any actor to pull off, especially in the absence of strong writing. This film has many more head-scratching moments, by the way.

I guess that all of that could be forgiven in the presence of expert pacing and rhythm. But, again, this film drops the ball. After the opening, the plot gets stuck in a stalling pattern. We know what’s going to happen, and watching it happen isn’t that interesting.

The only saving grace is the cast. I’ll give Prince-Bythewood credit for those decisions. Gugu Mbatha-Raw does everything that she can to embody her pop star character. She acts the part, sounds the part, and, definitely, looks the part. Nate Parker does what he can with a poorly written role. At times, he seems confused about how to play the scene; but I would be, as well. I guess that Minnie Driver and Danny Glover were casted to ensure that their characters have more of an impact than the script suggests. They certainly avoid embarrassing themselves. I actually didn’t mind watching those four principal actors do their jobs. As a unit, they keep this film from being barely worthy of Lifetime’s attention. They make everything slightly palatable.

Verdict: OK

About: (Source: beyondthelightsmovie)

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