Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood. With Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, David Threlfall. A chronicle of John Lennon's childhood.
Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Music
Rating: 7.0/10/10 (2,805 votes votes)
Country: UK, Canada
Languages: English
Company: Ecosse Films
Sound: Dolby Digital
MPAA: R for language and a scene of sexuality.
Director(s): Sam Taylor-Wood
Producer(s):
Robert Bernstein – producer
Matt Delargy – co-producer
Jon Diamond – executive producer
Tim Haslam – executive producer
Kevin Loader – producer
Jaynie Miller – associate producer
Christopher Moll – executive producer
Douglas Rae – producer
Paul Ritchie – co-producer
Tessa Ross – executive producer
James Saynor – co-producer
Mark Woolley – executive producer
Writer(s):
Julia Baird – memoir
Matt Greenhalgh – screenplay
Cast:
Aaron Johnson – John
Kristin Scott Thomas – Mimi
David Threlfall – Uncle George
Josh Bolt – Pete
Ophelia Lovibond – Marie
Kerrie Hayes – Marie's Friend
Angela Walsh – Schoolmistress
Paul Ritter – Pobjoy
Richard Syms – Reverend
Anne-Marie Duff – Julia
Music: Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory
Tagline: The Extraordinary Untold Story Of John Lennon.
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When I first heard about "Nowhere Boy" I wanted to see it, and I wasn'tdisappointed. I've read numerous Beatles biographies and I've satthrough several cheaply made TV movies about the Beatles."Nowhere Boy"is a solid, well made Channel 4 drama that concentrates on JohnLennon's early life, without sensationalising Lennon's family historyor exploiting the Beatles legend. Paul and George are treated asfriends that the young John encounters, who become important in hislife as members of his band. There are scenes of Paul and John learningfrom each other and writing songs, but none are Beatles classics thatmake the audience swoon with recognition. It was a real pleasure for methat during the scene in which John visits the cemetery there was notombstone marked "Eleanor Rigby" (a sequence in "Birth of the Beatles"rigged up a fake tombstone for the young John to sit on and smoke onwhile he talked about his future dreams with the young Paul). StuSuttcliffe, John's great friend, isn't in this movie, and neither isCynthia, or John's art school days. I felt that was fair enough asother movies such as BackBeat have covered John's development as ayoung adult.The emphasis in "Nowhere Boy" is fully on John's coming ofage as a teenager in 1950s Liverpool, and exploring what it meant to bea teenager both at the time and in John's troubled family. There's asmall glimpse of Strawberry Fields at the start of the film, but I feltthat was justified, as it was a Salvation Army children's home nextdoor to the house in which Lennon grew up, and it was a foreshadowingof the fate that Lennon might have encountered if not for his AuntMimi's willingness to take him in when he was 5 years old. During thefilm, Mimi reveals to him that he had a younger half sister he nevermet. When he asks where she is, Mimi replies, "the Salvation Army gother".
The performances by Aaron Johnson and Kristin Scott Thomas are good;Annie-Marie Duff's portrayal as the youthful but irresponsible motheris admirable. The recreation of 1950s Liverpool is also very well done:but the art direction and the set direction annoyed my husband. Hepointed out that everything was clean, even in the school. No dirt orwear or tear is shown anywhere. Surely Julia's house crowded with youngchildren, clutter, and teenaged visitors wasn't so spotless. The filmalso doesn't convey John's being much better off financially than hisbandmates. Aunt Mimi's house (even with her need to take in a lodger)is middle class; George and Paul grew up in two up two down workingclass terrace houses.
Ultimately the film is let down by a descent into sentimentalitytowards the very end: although it steers past the Beatle clichés itcan't resist an overextended scene in a sunlit garden, showing the twosisters and John happy together, perfect bliss hinting heavily at thetragedy about to strike. I was annoyed by the casting, as ThomasSangster as Paul looks much younger than 15, and Aaron Johnson as Johnlooks much older than 16-17. Boys grow at different development rates,but still, next to Sangster's Paul Johnson's Lennon looks like a fullygrown man. The difference goes much further than suggesting Lennon wasmore mature than Paul (and his schoolfriends) at the time due to hisexperiences: it makes the audience wonder what John sees in a pipsqueaklike Paul (besides his guitar playing). It would have been much moreeffective to have a slightly older looking actor than Sangster playPaul: George was much younger than John and Paul and he had to provehis mastery of guitar playing in order to be accepted into the band.
"Nowhere Boy" is well worth seeing, and rewarding for audiences thataren't Beatles fans. Its greatest strength is not shying away fromshowing the dark sides of Lennon's character, and not giving any easyanswers as to how John became both a beloved icon of pop music and aman who often acted cruelly to the people closest to him.
This is Sam Taylor-Wood's drama about John Lennon's teenage years andrelationship with his errant Mum, Julia. (By the way, that's a goodchat-up line if you meet a Julia: 'Oh right, half of what you say ismeaningless…' It works, honestly.)
I had misgivings about this; it looked like the sort of 1950s perioddrama you get on Sunday early evening telly, so authentic is hurts. ButI went along because my sister wanted to see it and to show willing.
It was awful, a horrible movie. Taylor Wood is an artist; Ronnie Woodwould have been better. It's all broad brushstrokes and the end resultis like watching paint dry. Okay, that's an inappropriate jibe: TaylorWood is all art installation stuff. But that's the problem here: she isdepicting an idea on repeat throughout the movie. So we see Lennonmeeting his mum, and is amazed how wild she is, and a bit turned onmaybe. Then back to his Aunt Mimi, who raised him, looking all prim.Back to his mum, and she's dancing and being wild again. Another sceneof that, then back to Mimi looking prim again. Nothing ever reallydevelops much. Marie Ann-Duff is v good as Julia, Scott Thomas is goodas Mimi but really Mimi looks like one of those women who never had sexin their life and Kristin doesn't fit that mold; really a youngerMaggie Smith would have been perfect.
Aaron Johnson is okay as Lennon, he captures his middle-classnessthough with glasses he becomes a bit Harry Potter. He's got the voiceand the insolent look a bit, but really he's too tall and manly. Lennonwas a proto-punk, he all the Fabs were mod types with slight bodies.Johnson is muscley and tall, he looks more like Travolta in Grease orthe young Superman who outruns a train and squeezes his poor Dad todeath. He towers over the other characters and is more a Pete Bestfigure.
Otherwise, no cliché is left unturned. Paul shows up, and asks for acup of tea rather than a beer, because he's the nice and square Beatle.Later he talks about writing your songs as you get the publishing:because he's the calculated business one. He seems a prod-nosed littlejerk. Some girl dubs Lennon a 'loser': hmm, that might make a good songlater, d'ya think? Julia introduces him to rock n roll it seems, takeshim to see an Elvis movie where teenage girls are screaming; John looksaround and we see him think, "Hey, this is good, I should be a rockstar!" All devoid of subtlety. It's a wonder when George appears (theactor looking nothing like him) he doesn't say, "I'm famished, anyonefancy an Indian takeaway?" Or someone saying. "That Lennon, he's goingto get himself shot one day!"
And I somehow doubt that in one of the Lennon sex scenes, inserted toshow he's normal and not fixated with his mum, that the hot young girlwould groan orgasmically like a porn star and then – in time-honouredmovie tradition – obligingly kneel down to give him a blow-job as thescene ends; not in the late 1950s I don't think. Man, if young Lennonwas getting blow-jobs off hot chicks back then, I don't suppose he'dhave much cared about forming the Beatles. I know I wouldn't!
At the end it writes on the screen that Lennon phoned his Aunt Mimievery week for the rest of his life, which I somehow doubt is true.
This is about John Lennon's teenage time, when he lived with his auntMimi. He has problems at school, encounters teddy boys, starts TheQuarrymen and meets Paul and George.
The story is a rhapsody, including Lennon's attempts to recontact hishalf-crazy mother. There's the triangle Mimi/Mum/John which finallybrings an eruption. The heat is really on here and then, Lennon and TheBeatles go to Hamburg.
Entertaining certainly, but most credits go to Kristin Scott Thomas,which was to be expected. Kudos to the Liverpool accent, one of manything Lennon taught us to love.
I am amazed that the film industry is still turning out cliché riddengarbage like this. That significantly good actors like Kristen Scott-Thomas take part in such rubbish leaves me breathless withastonishment.
This 'leafy' and squeaky clean suburb of Liverpool never existed. It isa cinematographer's invention,… As is the idea that the young Lennonwore wire framed glasses. But hey!… we are just the audience… weneed familiar reference points because we might forget who John Lennonwas! Was he that bloke with the 'granny' glasses?
The fact is, there was nothing astonishing or even particularlyinteresting about Lennon's childhood. He himself said that at the ageof 16, he was just the same as any other little Hoylake **** of 16.
The perpetuation of the myth that he was some sort of saint is not onlythe big lie about The Beatles…it is an even bigger lie about the man.He wrote the line about imaging no possessions, but had a separateapartment just to keep his clothes in.
In his defence… he had little patience with the people who glorifiedhim, but dead pop stars are good business… so on it goes.
Beatles fans don't come more dedicated than me. i was there at thetime. I still listen to the music on an almost daily basis, but i don'tneed the constant repetition of exaggerated fake nonsense about them.The music was enough… Let it be.
I like John Lennon's music, but I'm pretty ignorant of his early life,so I watched this for a good story, not facts. And it delivered. Ienjoyed the scenes involving his development as a musician and theformation of the Quarrymen more than the mom/aunt relationship stuff.But even these relationship scenes were well done and heartrending.
The best part of the movie for me was the acting.Everyone–everyone–did an incredible job. Aaron Johnson, especially,is simply incredible. I mean, to go from this role to "Kick Ass," theguy's a phenomenal actor and surely has a bright future in acting. Hecan even sing. I remember seeing him years ago as twins in "Tom &Thomas" and thinking, Dang this kid can act, to carry the whole picturehimself. Johnson's recent roles reveals that early talent wasn't afluke. Kristin Scott Thomas (as Mimi) and Anne-Marie Duff (as JuliaLennon) deserve Oscar noms.
I'm not sure how Lennon's traumatic young adulthood as depicted inNowhere Boy informed who he became as a man. Losing the people heloved, reared by an emotionally stifled woman–maybe these drove him tofeel deeply and embrace the emotions that made his music so powerful,I'm not sure. It's a story I'd like to see. But Nowhere Boy is anentertaining and thought-provoking film. Glad to have seen it.