Ok so technically this isn't the movie of
this week. Me and Brittany saw it about 2 weeks ago down at the Ritz Bourse.
I am a pretty big Beatles fan as some of you may know, so I went to the movie knowing a bit about John Lennon's life before a Beatle so of course I was excited to see a movie about exactly that. I've got to admit that I was a little worried about the film upon hearing some very mixed reviews. Particularly about the performance of Aaron Johnson as John Lennon.
All in all, if you're a Beatles fan, there's a lot to love about the movie. You witness the first meeting between John and Paul, the first meeting between John and George, and the trio's first basement recording of "Despite of All the Danger". All of their parts are played well, including Johnson as Lennon. I wonder what the critics found wrong with his performance.
However, with little to no knowledge of the Beatles or John Lennon, there's just not much for one to enjoy. The Beatles are NOT the focus of the movie. The movie chronicles Lennon's teenage years and the brief period of time in which he reconciled with his Mother. John spent most of his younger years under the care of his Aunt and Uncle, not far from his Mother. His Aunt was stern, sometimes cold, and when his Uncle past away leaving them alone he began to reconcile with this mother and her new family. His Mother was a free spirit, inspiring him to become a musician. She was also emotionally imbalanced and throughout the course of the story you learn more about why John was hidden away from his mother as a child. The story is OK, but if you don't like the Beatles or care about Lennon, you just might think to yourself "so what?".
From what I have read, most of the story is historically accurate. Especially with the side-story involving John and Paul McCartney. The screenwriters certainly embellished upon John's life with his Aunt and Mother a bit and also jump to events that actually happened several years later to serve the purpose of the story.
The music is also of note here. There's a great 50's mix of rock n' roll plus songs by The Nowhere Boys, the band that plays much of the Quarrymen music featured in the movie. I know for sure I've been annoying Brittany with their version of "In Spite of All the Danger", but frankly I've always loved the song. The only recording I've heard with John, Paul and George is from The Beatles Anthology record, and it's a really rough cut of the song and it's clear how poor the recording equipment was at the time. The Nowhere Boys version is clean and polished and when you hear it at the end of the film the lyrics just work perfectly.
I think the film is only in limited release, so if you get the chance to see it then definitely check it out if you have any interest in the Beatles or John Lennon. The film has also been out for a little while in England, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's out on DVD sometime soon.
