Noni Jean is a hot new artist who has just won a Billboard Music Award without releasing an album and is primed for superstardom, 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. Noni, not really enjoying the sexy pop star image and songs she performs, feels lost and recalls moments where she actually sang with her heart when she was a kid. She goes on a journey with Kaz, hiding away from cameras and fame. 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.
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.
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
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 6.76/10. The website's critical 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 weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. The film received positive reviews, 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."
