Blinded By The Light: A stellar Springsteen soundtrack strengthens this sweet but silly coming-of-age story

An invigorating Bruce Springsteen soundtrack not only gives Blinded By The Light’s protagonist a new lease on life, but keeps this otherwise meandering coming-of-age flick on track.

Buoyed by a Bruce Springsteen soundtrack, coming-of-age movie ‘Blinded By The Light’ is a slow-starting but ultimately joyous affair.

By turns corny, ungainly and every so slightly silly, the sugar-sweet coming-of-age affair Blinded by the Light still comes through with the goods by the end.

While not exactly a musical, it is the music of legendary American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen that fuels the engine of this endearing British movie.

The year is 1987, and a young, picked-upon Pakistani student named Javed (Viveik Kalra) finds direction in a life going nowhere after discovering the inspirational songbook of the bloke they call ‘The Boss’.

Living in the always overcast gloom of the city of Luton, Javed began his final year at high school thinking he was on a doomed direct route to a factory job and that would be that.

He had harboured dreams of maybe making a living as a writer one day, but Javed’s one outlet — penning lyrics for his best friend’s synth band — was never going to make them a reality.

Then a mate slips Javed a cassette of Springsteen’s seminal crossover album Born in the USA. Suddenly, a literate life in music not only makes sense. It seems possible.

All it takes is to look and listen at what is happening in the world around you, and report back through your lyrics with as much passion and feeling as you can.

If the joyous sequence set to ‘Born to Run’ doesn’t put a smile on your dial, another spirit-lifting Springsteen anthem will get you at some point.

Viveik Kalra in Blinded by the Light. Picture: Supplied.

A Springsteen soundtrack provides the keys to breaking out of smalltown life.

Director Gurinder Chadha (of Bend It Like Beckham) is no stranger to feel-good fare of a higher calibre than most expect, and she keeps the balance right between the trials of her modest hero and the greatest hits of Bruce.

However, some patience will need to extended the movie’s way from some viewers, as many of its younger cast are complete unknowns, and take a while to grow on you.

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A longer-than-usual wait for the film to really hit its true stride will also get people restless to begin with.

Based on a memoir by BBC journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, whose own love of all things The Boss wrote his ticket out of smalltown hell.

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (PG)

Director: Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham)

Starring: Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams.

Rating: ***

Being your own man by being a slave to The Boss.