Review of Nowhere Boy (2009) by Stuart K — 01 Feb 2011

By Clive Rozario for remotegoat on 03/01/10.

'Nowhere Boy' is British conceptual artist Sam Taylor-Wood's feature-film directorial debut. With stellar acting throughout, this biography about the early life of John Lennon is a surprisingly engaging little movie.

Based on Julia Baird's book "Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon," Matt Greenhalgh's screenplay covers Lennon's upbringing with his Aunt Mimi through to his turbulent reunion with his real mother Julia. Of course, there is some focus on the beginnings of Lennon's musical career, such as Julia teaching him to play the banjo and the early stages of his friendship to that other Beatle McCartney; in fact some of the scenes involving him discovering music and starting his band are pretty generic and feel slightly rushed. Nevertheless, this movie is predominantly about the domestic issues that emotionally shaped the most prolific songwriter of all time, and this insight proves to be a fascinating little story.

Taylor-Wood titivates a few of 'Nowhere Boy's scenes up with some artistic flair, and this experimentation adds an extra level to what may have been a run-of-the-mill biography picture. There are plenty of The Beatles songs strewn throughout (with permission from Yoko Ono), and there are some nice, original musical compositions by eccentric, electro duo Goldfrapp. In the same vein as another recent British flick, 'An Education,' the reason this film succeeds is because of the acting talent on display. The ever reliable Kristin Scott Thomas is superb as Aunt Mimi, and 'Shameless' star Anne-Marie Duff is a surprisingly perfect fit as Lennon's troubled, erratic mother Julia. The only disappointment is Thomas Sangstar (the drumming boy from 'Love Actually'), who is miscast as McCartney.

Just as the real draw of 'An Education' was the discovery of newcomer Carey Mulligan, 'Nowhere Boy' deserves 4 stars purely because of Aaron Johnson's fascinating portrayal of John Lennon. Johnson is genuinely convincing as a young Lennon, and perfectly captures his conflicting emotions and character traits, from the playful, schoolboy arrogance to the brooding angst and sadness. With another lead in upcoming film 'Kick-Ass,' Johnson is set to be the biggest male breakthrough of 2010.

'Nowhere Boy' is not quite the exciting and daring piece of film-making people were expecting from the Turner Prize-nominated artist Taylor-Wood (perhaps most famed for filming David Beckham sleeping), but thanks to its lead actor it is a thoroughly enjoyable and fairly moving addition to the musician-biography genre. It should establish Johnson (19 years old) as a great and credible actor, rather than just Taylor-Wood's freakishly young fiance (she is 23 years his elder).