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IMDbPro

Beyond the Lights

  • 20142014
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
Noni Jean is an artist who is primed for superstardom. But not all is what it seems, and the pressures cause Noni to nearly fall apart - until she meets Kaz Nicol, a promising young cop and aspiring politician who's been assigned to her detail. Drawn to each other, Noni and Kaz fall fast and hard, despite the protests of those around them to put their career ambitions ahead of their romance. But can Kaz's love give Noni the courage to find her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be?
Play trailer2:30
21 Videos
83 Photos
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Romance
The pressures of fame have superstar singer Noni on the edge, until she meets Kaz, a young cop who works to help her find the courage to develop her own voice and break free to become the ar... Read allThe pressures of fame have superstar singer Noni on the edge, until she meets Kaz, a young cop who works to help her find the courage to develop her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be.The pressures of fame have superstar singer Noni on the edge, until she meets Kaz, a young cop who works to help her find the courage to develop her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood
  • Writer
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood
  • Stars
    • Gugu Mbatha-Raw
    • Nate Parker
    • Minnie Driver
Top credits
  • Director
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood
  • Writer
    • Gina Prince-Bythewood
  • Stars
    • Gugu Mbatha-Raw
    • Nate Parker
    • Minnie Driver
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 55User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 26 nominations total

    Videos21

    Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:30
    Trailer #2
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:46
    Trailer #1
    Clip
    Clip 1:09
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:09
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:09
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:08
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:06
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:02
    Clip
    Interview
    Interview 7:16
    Interview
    Interview
    Interview 8:53
    Interview
    Interview
    Interview 4:48
    Interview
    Interview
    Interview 4:21
    Interview

    Photos83

    Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Gina Prince-Bythewood, Nate Parker, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Machine Gun Kelly and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Minnie Driver and India Jean-Jacques in Beyond the Lights (2014)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw
    Gugu Mbatha-Raw
    • Nonias Noni
    Nate Parker
    Nate Parker
    • Kazas Kaz
    Minnie Driver
    Minnie Driver
    • Macy Jeanas Macy Jean
    Danny Glover
    Danny Glover
    • Captain Nicolas Captain Nicol
    Machine Gun Kelly
    Machine Gun Kelly
    • Kid Culpritas Kid Culprit
    • (as Colson "MGK" Baker)
    Darryl Stephens
    Darryl Stephens
    • Quentinas Quentin
    Elaine Tan
    Elaine Tan
    • Aprilas April
    Isaac Keys
    Isaac Keys
    • Jonasas Jonas
    Tyler Christopher
    Tyler Christopher
    • Liam Kingas Liam King
    Benito Martinez
    Benito Martinez
    • Jesse Soriaas Jesse Soria
    Aisha Hinds
    Aisha Hinds
    • J Stanleyas J Stanley
    India Jean-Jacques
    • Noni (age 10)as Noni (age 10)
    Deidrie Henry
    Deidrie Henry
    • Feliciaas Felicia
    Estelle
    Estelle
    • Selfas Self
    Malieek Straughter
    Malieek Straughter
    • Billboard Awards Stage Manageras Billboard Awards Stage Manager
    Brandon Wilson
    Brandon Wilson
    • Male Fanas Male Fan
    Jordan Belfi
    Jordan Belfi
    • Steve Samsas Steve Sams
    Greg Davis Jr.
    Greg Davis Jr.
    • Officer Aforoas Officer Aforo
    • Director
      • Gina Prince-Bythewood
    • Writer
      • Gina Prince-Bythewood
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was originally titled Blackbird, but there were multiple movies with the same title coming out the same year, so this was eventually changed.
    • Goofs
      When Noni smashes posters of herself with her bare hands, she cuts herself on the glass and is bleeding pretty badly. Yet the next morning she has no visible injuries whatsoever.
    • Quotes

      Noni: What we had was perfect right?

      Kaz: We started on a lie. So it could never be perfect.

    • Connections
      Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Virtual Insanity
      Written by Jay Kay (as Jason Kay), Derrick McKenzie, Toby Smith, Simon Katz, Wallis Buchanan and Stuart Zender

      Performed by Jamiroquai

      Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd

      By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

    User reviews55

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Satisfying tale about being true to yourself, despite being somewhat clichéd and predictable
    I can't say that was ecstatic about seeing BEYOND THE LIGHTS because it just seemed like a 21st century update of THE BODYGUARD, but for what it's worth, despite being narratively uneven and weighed down with clichés, it still is a compelling portrait of what goes on behind the scenes of people who are in the public eye. It stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni Jean, a cookie-cutter pop star who specializes in the oversexed, over-produced crap that tops the charts these days. One night, after winning an award for her latest single, she attempts suicide but is saved by the officer (Nate Parker) assigned to protect her that evening. From that point, a romantic relationship develops between them as they each figure out how to break out of the mold that other people have tried to keep them in, and begin to think and act for themselves. On paper, that sounds pretty good generally speaking, the film does a good job exploring those themes. The real standout of the cast is Gugu Mbatha-Raw who brings a youthful quality and emotional honesty to a character who, initially, is asked to do a lot of degrading things for the sake of "image." Her mother, played by Minnie Driver, also does a great job as this domineering, controlling personality who micro-manages her daughter's life. One begins to wonder who exactly she wants the career and the fame for: her daughter or herself. It's because of these qualities that she is an extremely unlikeable character, yet there is one stripped down scene in which another, sweeter side is shown and you get a little back story on why she is the way she is. Nate Parker also acquits himself rather nicely, although he and his storyline about being an aspiring politician are mostly sidelined in favor of Noni, although to be fair she is the main character. It would have been nicer for the story to be a little more balanced in that regard, but the juxtaposition of his and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's characters was established well enough. Sadly, all is not well with the film. It succumbs to a lot of the narrative clichés that plague films revolving around music and romance. Fortunately, there is a segment about halfway in which a much-needed break is taken from it all, in which Noni and Kaz get some one-on-one time. There were also a handful of moments that made me laugh unintentionally, such as when Noni takes Kaz on his first flight and they make love to Beyonce's song "Drunk in Love." And then there's Noni's label partner and sort-of boyfriend Kid who was a collection of "white rapper" stereotypes who made me cringe every time he opened his mouth. Overall, the positive elements do outweigh the negative and the film delivers a satisfying story about being true to yourself.
    helpful•4
    2
    • brchthethird
    • Mar 28, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 14, 2014 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Twitter
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Işıkların Ardında
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Black Entertainment Television (BET)
      • Homegrown Pictures
      • Relativity Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,618,727
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,200,284
      • Nov 16, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,618,727
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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