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Beyond The Lights (2014), PG-13, ★★★

The lovely couple and the dog.
I have seen routine films showcasing a person's point of view how they handle fame and mostly, the result is hodgepodge. Most movies do not showcase fame and a celebrity's or rising star's struggles well, but it always center on the formulaic upcoming romance like The Bodyguard. That movie was well-acted and has some great songs, but that movie just plugs in the romance to advance the story and substitute it as entertainment and throw in an assassin story. It was implausible. This movie orchestrates the balance between the struggles of trying to be famous and identifying herself while she forms a relationship with a police officer and despite the formula, it is a sincere approach of viewing fame from a personal standpoint.

Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is an over-sexualized pop star that has achieved success after fighting to get on top in the music industry. She achieved success by performing a rap song with rapper Kid Culprit (Machine Gun Kelly) and they win Best Video at the Billboard Music Awards. Following the show, Noni gets into her limo and starts drinking and when Officer Kaz Nicol (Nate Parker) allows Noni into her hotel room until Macy (Minnie Driver), Noni's mother and manager, arrives. Macy screams and Kaz enters when they see Noni standing on the edge of the balcony and then she leans and falls onto Kaz's hands.

Media is all over her and Noni and Macy pass it off as a drunken accident and Kaz is praised as a hero cop. Noni refuses to comment whether or not it was a suicide attempt and Kaz is offered $20,000 for a story but he declines the offer. Noni and Macy meet with the record producer, Liam King (Tyler Christopher), to push the album, but, they do not want to because of the attention, however, Liam says that she has to get her act together, otherwise, the album will not sell and may not be released.

During this struggle, Noni still meets with Kaz as he ponders over his future in the police force and maybe getting into a career in politics as he discussing it briefly with his father (Danny Glover). She and Kaz form a relationship slowly and telling each other personal things such as her struggles and his opportunity to going on a trip on a plane which seems corny but true. Noni now has to balance a lot of issues in her life during the remainder of the movie.

Minnie Driver and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Macy and Noni.
Honestly, I was going into this movie saying to myself like there is no chance I will like this film because of the advertisements setting up a dopey romance with just a message of how that "he will be on her side forever". Well, I was wrong but not entirely, this movie is mostly about Noni and I liked that premise because it identifies a singer's struggles of maintaining fame with her personal life and therefore, she cannot bear with it and almost kills herself. It is almost a realistic situation to overcome her endeavors of being number one. This is a different type of movie more being a character-driven story than a romance, even though that is what the company is trying to sell here.

Mbatha-Raw is an explosive star with such vital power and vulnerability that you cannot take your eyes off her for a second and I know Nate Parker can't because there is one too many closeups of him gazing at her and she is beautiful. But, she and Parker are appealing together that even though they sometimes exchange trite dialogue, they have a simplistic and honest relationship on-screen and it is a very good one. Minnie Driver, however, is dynamite as the strong-willed mother and manager who wants what is best for her with discipline but also remorse and that is when she turns a clichéd character into a complex one.

The characters are appealing and the core of the story of a singer trying to become number one but having to deal with paparazzi haranguing her with questions, dealing with personal issues and doing her job in the music industry is well done. But, the movie falters with again, the sometimes-corny dialogue between Parker and Mbatha-Raw and the last 15-20 minutes of the movie that was all over the map for me and there is a hacked-on and stupid ending that almost made me want throw the cup on the screen. However, the elements are so strong that I have to recommend this film because it exceeded my expectations as a strong character study of a person surrounded by fame and paparazzi and love. It is a good surprise.

***

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