Beyond the Lights

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Audience Member What’s beyond the lights when it comes to being famous? Who is the person really under all the fame, attention, and success? It’s not all glamorous as it seems. Gina-Prince Bythewood tells the story of one person’s true struggle despite the shiny clothes and adoration by many starring Gugu-Mbatha Raw. Noni is the most popular artist in the world but her mother played by Minnie Driver is her manager and pushes her every day to step up. After a near death experience being saved by a police offer he’s hired as her bodyguard to gain a better understanding of what she actually sees on a daily basis. This is a poignant, thoughtful look at a female pop star's struggle with depression due to her relentless, unsympathetic, over-achieving mother and her unhappiness with the lack of meaning in her life. After meeting this officer it is at that point that she finds new meaning in life and is able to break the shackles of her façade and become her true self, both on the inside and outside. There’s even a confrontation between her and her mother that thoroughly explains why she pressures her since childhood. This film was pretty well-acted and had a high storytelling ability. The story is well-developed and unique and is one of the strongest merits. Though at times it is cookie-cutter, as most movies are, I actually feel the story of her life could not be properly told without the formulaic story arc. The cookie-cutter plot actually furthers the script and character development. A fine job even though it suffers from pacing issues. A movie that 10 years later highlights the all-consuming nature of fame, the pressures of superstardom, and demands made on women with an elevated performance by Gugu-Mbatha Raw searching for her authentic self. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/14/24 Full Review Alec B Despite predictable clichés and one really boring performance, Prince-Bythewood still constructed a surprisingly low key and mature love story. For something I assumed would be terrible, it's a remarkable accomplishment. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/13/23 Full Review R C I watch anything directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and then add Gugu as the lead character Noni? Get outta here! Watched this with my family of 5 and everyone enjoyed it. Noni's compelling journey was captured by Gugu's portrayal so poignantly and we all pretended we weren't crying when Noni showed her real hairstyle. Not to be outdone is the journey of her cop love interest. Highly recommend! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/16/23 Full Review Angela C Watch this movie if you or someone you know needs to break away from an unhealthy parental relationship. It is inspirational! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/29/23 Full Review Steve D Jus because you know where it is going does not mean you won't have a good time getting there. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/23 Full Review barbara B I didn't think the movie was going to be that good. But it was a good movie. The younger actor did great. It showed that trying to be someone else. You have to be yourself. There was some humor in the movie was nice. The tape didn't have any extras. but it did have close captions. The song were nice. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Beyond the Lights

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