Celebrity culture is always a hot topic. People are fascinated by watching the roller coaster ride that is celebrity lifestyle. It is like watching a car wreck. Sometimes it is difficult to look away.

“Beyond the Lights” (Rated PG-13; 116 min) hauntingly criticizes the entertainment business, with only a few pitfalls.

Advertisement

The movie is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Danny Glover and Machine Gun Kelly.

Mbatha-Raw plays Noni, whose emotions are on a downward spiral. Her singing career, while not completely how she imagined it, is on the fast track. With the benefits of fame also come the pressures. Noni’s past insecurities come back and she plans to kill herself.

Noni is saved by Kaz, played by Parker. He is a young cop planning to run for a government position. The cop empathizes with Noni because he is also on a career path he cannot get behind. Together they learn to find confidence in themselves and become the people they want to be.

It might be better to just get the bad things out of the way and move forward. There is not much to harp on. This film goes beyond what was expected. There are a few select things that could have been done to make this movie complete.

Prince-Bythewood, who also directed “Love and Basketball.” She is a woman who understands how to convincingly create a romantic drama where the two people are dynamic and compelling characters. These two characters are not only in love, but going through their own struggles as well.

In this movie, she fails to do that. Noni’s character is well defined and easy to connect with. She accurately represents the problems with the entertainment industry and depression. Kaz, on the other hand, is ill defined and a static character at best.

He had a lot of potential to be just as great of a character as Noni. He is on a path he does not want to be on, and his father created this path for him, much like Noni and her mother. He could have even paralleled Noni on her journey. But he is underused, and these problems are only brought up to have them easily fixed.

Advertisement*

The film has its cliché moments that try to bring the entire ship to the ground. For the most part, it does not hit the easy marks. It accurately attacks the entertainment industry, showing the struggles of people in the spotlight, while telling a genuine love story. It also has Hallmark-level romantic moments.

Without giving away the ending, it is everything you think it will be. It is one of seven ways a romantic movie can end. It is a stark contrast between the depressing edges of the rest of the film just to make the audience happy.

What makes this film better than imagined is Noni, what she represents and Mbatha-Raw’s performance. The writers of “Beyond the Lights” built two personas of her, one public and one private. They represent the celebrity version of her and the real version.

Mbatha-Raw is heartbreaking in her portrayal of Noni. In a lot of movies, depression and suicidal tendencies are dramatized and romanticized. While this does not break new ground, it does bring a little realism to the convention. She brings this in her attitude, the melancholy ways she reacts to things and naïve qualities.

This movie is a big surprise. Anyone who saw the trailer can back that up. It looked like another cliché romance movie that would be forgotten quickly. While this will not break any grounds, it will be worth the $9.75 for a ticket. Hold off on popcorn, though.

STARS: 3.5 out of 5