Beyond the Lights is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Minnie Driver, Nate Parker, Danny Glover, and rapper Machine Gun Kelly. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014 and was released theatrically in the United States on November 14, 2014. In 2015, the song "Grateful", written by Diane Warren for the film, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Video Beyond the Lights
Plot
Noni Jean is a hot new artist who has just won a Billboard Music Award without releasing an album and is primed for super-stardom, but the pressures of success compel her to nearly end her life. She is saved by a young police officer, Kaz Nicol, who has political ambitions. Drawn to each other, Noni and Kaz fall fast and hard, despite the protests of those around them who urge them to put their career ambitions ahead of their romance. But it is ultimately Kaz's love that gives Noni the courage to find her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be.
Maps Beyond the Lights
Cast
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni Jean
- Minnie Driver as Macy Jean
- Nate Parker as Kaz Nicol
- Danny Glover as Captain David Nicol
- Machine Gun Kelly as Kid Culprit
- Jordan Belfi as Steve Sams
- Hayley Marie Norman as Shai
- Tom Wright as Reverend Brown
- Jesse Woodrow as Carl
- Jasmine Vargas The waitress in the night club
Production
On August 15, 2013, Relativity Media bought the worldwide rights to the film; Relativity Media financed and distributed the film. Ryan Kavanaugh produced along with Stephanie Allain. On December 6, 2013, Relativity set the film for a November 14, 2014 release date.
Casting
Three stars--Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, and Danny Glover--were already in the ensemble cast on August 15; Raw played Noni Jean, a new singer. Parker played Kaz Nicol and Glover played Captain David Nicol. On September 25, 2013, Minnie Driver and Machine Gun Kelly also joined the cast; Driver played Noni's mother Macy Jean while Machine Gun Kelly played Kid Culprit, a rapper.
Filming
Principal photography commenced on August 21, 2013 in Los Angeles.
Soundtrack
Relativity Music Group released a soundtrack album for the film on November 10, 2014, which features the original song "Grateful", written by Diane Warren and performed by Rita Ora. Three songs featured in the film but absent from the soundtrack are Beyoncé's "Drunk in Love," India.Arie's "I Am Light" and Amel Larrieux's "Don't Let Me Down" as they already appear on each artist's respective albums.
Reception
Beyond the Lights received positive reviews from critics. Based on 75 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a "Certified Fresh" rating of 81%, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus reads "Thanks to smart direction and a powerhouse performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beyond the Lights transcends its formulaic storyline to deliver thoroughly entertaining drama." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 73 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews" from critics.
The film received positive notices with The Hollywood Reporter praising Mbatha-Raw's performance as "incandescent" and Prince-Bythewood's script for its "surprising integrity." Hitfix said the film's excellence showed that writer/director "Gina Prince-Bythewood isn't working enough," while Variety called it "messy but undeniably entertaining."
Awards and nominations
See also
- List of black films of the 2010s
References
External links
- Beyond the Lights on IMDb
- Beyond the Lights at Box Office Mojo
- Beyond the Lights at Rotten Tomatoes
- Beyond the Lights at Metacritic
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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