Beyond the Lights

I saw an advance screening of Beyond the Lights two weeks ago. I've been waiting to post about it because what good is a movie review that's done two weeks before the movie is released? By the way, Beyond the Lights comes out on Friday, November 14, 2014. Should you see it? 

THE REVIEW

If you loved Love & Basketball, then this movie is a must see. Beyond the Lights is the exact movie that it appears to be in the trailers. It's the story of a pop star, Noni, who has tired of pretending to be someone she's not. If you've seen the preview then you know that Noni jumps from a balcony and is rescued by a policeman named Kaz (aka, my new crush, Nate Parker). You also know that they fall in love and her mother and his father do not approve. Noni and Kaz's relationship develops in a very sweet and endearing way. It's clear that Kaz wants to help Noni face her demons, but he understands that he can't force her hand, so he sits on the sidelines and encourages her to be herself. Eventually, Noni hears him  and begins to find her own voice, which, surprise, surprise, is not the voice that her record company or her mother want her to have. While helping Noni, Kaz loses sight of his life goal and his father is quick to tell him all the ways that Noni is ruining his life, but this is a love story, so you can pretty much guess how well that conversation played out in the movie. At its core, Beyond the Lights is a classic love story set against a music back drop.

Overall Grade: B-.  I give the movie a B- because there isn't anything special or surprising about the movie. The movie is what it is and in this case, that was enough to keep me entertained. There were some weak moments in the writing, but the superb acting made me quite forgiving.

THE ACTORS/CHARACTERS:

MGK (rapper Machine Gun Kelly for those who aren't in the know) plays Kid Culprit, Noni's boyfriend for publicity purposes. I understand that MGK was pretty much playing a variation of himself, but as a Clevelander, it was nice to see a hometown boy doing big things and actually holding his own as an actor. Kid Culprit is all about image and it becomes clear during the movie that his image is far more important to him than Noni could ever hope to be.

Minnie Driver plays Noni's "momanger." I have loved Minnie Driver since Good Will Hunting, so I wasn't surprised that she delivered as Macy Jean. Macy wants the best for Noni, but it's clear from the beginning of the movie that Macy never really listens to what Noni wants. In the beginning, Noni was all about pleasing her mother. There was one scene in which the photographer at a photoshoot asks Noni to take her top off and Noni looks to her mother so that her mother can make the decision for her. I thought that moment was particularly poignant in terms of conveying the dynamics of their relationship. Macy was okay with pushing the limits and playing up Noni's sexuality as long as it made them money, while Noni wasn't really comfortable with it, but understood that she needed to play her part.

Danny Glover plays Kaz's father, Captain Nicol. Like Macy, Captain Nicol has helped mold his child's life. He wants Kaz to go in to politics and it is implied that he has groomed Kaz for politics since Kaz was a young age.

Now for the stars. Let's begin with Nate Parker. This movie marks the first time that I have looked at Nate Parker as a man. His portrayal of Kaz was well done. I enjoyed his acting. I enjoyed looking at him. I enjoyed the way he looked at Noni and the way his character only wanted to protect Noni. I enjoyed that his character accepted Noni as she was and even though he didn't understand everything about her life, he wanted her to be happy because her happiness dictated his own.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Noni. I loved her! Her acting was very good. She was just as convincing as a sex pot in the music video scenes as she was when she showed how vulnerable her character felt on the inside. She was undoubtedly the star of the movie and there is little need for her to worry about scene stealers, because no one was able to take her shine. I believe that she felt trap and that her love for Kaz helped set her free.

SHOUT-OUTS

First Shout-out: This movie made me fall in love with "Blackbird." That song is depressing as hell. Nina Simone sure knew how to be a dream killer.

Second Shout-out: Darryl Stephens plays Quentin in this movie. I have loved Darryl since Noah's Arc.