Dvd
Nowhere Boy
The story of John Lennon’s childhood takes us back to when John was a curious and sharp teenager growing up in '50s Liverpool. At age four, John had been sent to live with his formidable, straight-laced Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. After the tragedy of George's death, John is reintroduced to his mum, Julia. Her spirited personality is a close fit with his and she encourages his love of music and writing. As the two sisters tussle for his love, John escapes into the art and the music flooding in from the US – namely, rock and roll. His enthusiasm for the music finds a kindred spirit in a young chappy, handy with a bass, named Paul.
This is the debut feature of artist-turned-director Sam Taylor-Wood and based on the memoir by Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird.
Starring Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey , Ophelia Lovibond, Sam Bell
Directed by Sam Taylor Wood (feature debut)
Written by Matt Greenhalgh (based on the memoir 'Imagine This' by Julia Baird)
True Story, Music, Drama, Biography | 1hr 37mins | Rated (M) | Contains Sex Scenes & Offensive Language | Origin: UK, Canada | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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3
This marks Sam Taylor-Wood’s directorial debut, shifting medium from an already well-established photography career. It follows a wave of multi-talented artists crossing over into directing: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by neo-expressionist painter Julian Schnabel; A Single Man from fashion icon Tom Ford; Hunger from conceptual artist Steve McQueen and Control by photographer Anton Corbijn. Surprisingly, and unlike these examples, Taylor-Wood has concocted a conventional biopic.
Recounting the teenage years of a reckless and frustrated John Lennon (Aaron Johnson), we see him fumble together a band with Paul and George but the film’s focus is the relationship between Lennon, his estranged mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) and the woman who raised him, Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas).
The highlight of the film is Duff. Her Julia swings between a desperate maternal love for John and an unhinged, misguided enthusiasm for his approval. It’s a performance reminiscent of Gena Rowlands’ haunting portrayal of maternal eccentricities in A Woman Under the Influence – a film that apparently inspired Taylor-Wood to become a filmmaker.
While there are interesting threads, such as Lennon’s drive stemming from a desire for acceptance rather than a passion for music, the telling seems all a bit ho-hum for one of the world’s most unique and significant cultural icons. Here lies the film’s downfall, a returning sense that Taylor-Wood is recounting facts, letting the subtleties of the story fall by the wayside. Nowhere Boy is an easy and enjoyable watch but offers little insight into what made Lennon Lennon.
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The people's reviews
5 reviews
Press Reviews
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Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)
4
Biography as it should be done: With a minimum of mythologising, but plenty of acknowledgment of the heroism of ordinary people who are attempting extraordinary things.
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Empire (UK)
3
Anchored by a strong central turn, Nowhere Boy crafts entertaining, small-scale drama out of Lennon’s huge-sized legend. It just lacks the spark and ambition of its subject.
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Hollywood Reporter
Earnest but dull portrait of the woman who mothered John Lennon lacks his spark of originality.
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The Guardian (UK)
3
This tale of a young John Lennon, torn between his legendary mother and equally formidable aunt, is an accomplished feature debut from Sam Taylor-Wood
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Times (UK)
4
Artists-turned-film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood's biopic of the young John Lennon is warm, involving and very human
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Total Film (UK)
3
No surprises in this account of the troubled pre-Beatles adolescence of John Lennon, but sharp scripting and a pair of outstanding performances lift it out of routine biopic territory.
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tvnz.co.nz (Darren Bevan)
3
The Beatles may have had a recent resurgence - but very little's ever really been committed to screen about the adolescent years of one of those behind the legacy.
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Variety (USA)
A respectable but surprisingly conventional feature-debut effort from Brit artist-turned-helmer Sam Taylor-Wood, "Nowhere Boy" offers a portrait of pop star John Lennon as an angry, '50s-era young man, just before he became a working-class hero.
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ViewAuckland.co.nz (Matt Turner)
4
Nowhere Boy is a hugely enjoyable, emotionally engaging and superbly acted biopic that marks Sam Taylor-Wood out as a director to watch.
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