Post by frankyt on Aug 20, 2019 17:26:59 GMT -5
I am not a Bruce fan, the hits are solid for me I guess. I can be sucked into a coming of age flick. Combined? It missed for me.
Cute is this movies MO. The first 45 minutes give or take is pretty adorable, the lead is a decent actor the story is relatable.
When he first listens to Bruce on a stormy night as the night rages and the lyrics flash across the screen I got goosebumps - this is what it feels like to be swept up in music when you're 16 - they've done studies; you'll never love music like you did when you were in high school. This movie gets that and that first scene is great (even if you start to look around thinking... Are they gonna do the whole song???)
But then the movie keeps going. And keeps going. Some pseudo musical set pieces are 'highlights' for some Bruce fans I'm sure, but time and again when we snap back into the real world as Javed juggles being the first generation in his family to be born in the UK, the writing is just atrociously cheesy and corny. His writing teacher in particular has some extra cringey lines.
And his friend, the wise what's his face, who showed him Bruce is reduced to nodding and smiling at Javed and his girl as they make out or something. They hit a buncha coming of age tropes with his first relationship (no mention of this girl in the epilogue and good on you
Javed, never marry the first person you sleep with) and him getting confidence which then leads to realization about his friends home life being similar to his.... Yadda yadda yadda.
It's the family story that gets so cliche and boring. For lack of a better word, it just seems so daytime soap-y. I'm on their side I get racism sucks and it shouldn't be tolerated and it's gotta be hard to be the first gen in a new country... But holy shit. Eveythting was so layered with cheese it was all I could do to barely make the ending.
It's clearly a movie from the bend it like Beckham director and the way she handles drama is too on the nose and shallow for me to take seriously.
Skip this unless you really love musical movies.
5.5/10 big ole pile of meh.
Cute is this movies MO. The first 45 minutes give or take is pretty adorable, the lead is a decent actor the story is relatable.
When he first listens to Bruce on a stormy night as the night rages and the lyrics flash across the screen I got goosebumps - this is what it feels like to be swept up in music when you're 16 - they've done studies; you'll never love music like you did when you were in high school. This movie gets that and that first scene is great (even if you start to look around thinking... Are they gonna do the whole song???)
But then the movie keeps going. And keeps going. Some pseudo musical set pieces are 'highlights' for some Bruce fans I'm sure, but time and again when we snap back into the real world as Javed juggles being the first generation in his family to be born in the UK, the writing is just atrociously cheesy and corny. His writing teacher in particular has some extra cringey lines.
And his friend, the wise what's his face, who showed him Bruce is reduced to nodding and smiling at Javed and his girl as they make out or something. They hit a buncha coming of age tropes with his first relationship (no mention of this girl in the epilogue and good on you
Javed, never marry the first person you sleep with) and him getting confidence which then leads to realization about his friends home life being similar to his.... Yadda yadda yadda.
It's the family story that gets so cliche and boring. For lack of a better word, it just seems so daytime soap-y. I'm on their side I get racism sucks and it shouldn't be tolerated and it's gotta be hard to be the first gen in a new country... But holy shit. Eveythting was so layered with cheese it was all I could do to barely make the ending.
It's clearly a movie from the bend it like Beckham director and the way she handles drama is too on the nose and shallow for me to take seriously.
Skip this unless you really love musical movies.
5.5/10 big ole pile of meh.
