Review of Nowhere Boy (2009) by Jeff H — 20 Oct 2010

Before he was the Walrus, John Lennon was a timid, troubled teen living under the vice grip of his Aunt Mimi while struggling to cope with his estranged relationship with his mother. I like the Beatles' references throughout the film, though wish their were more and more subtle vs "Hey! It's Strawberry Field!" but it was still cool nonetheless.

Thomas Sangster is 20(as I write this)! Which is weird considering he played a very shrimpy Paul McCartney, which I might add was still cool to see. I suppose he just seemed wimpy when standing next to Aaron Johnson who seemed like a beefier version of young John. Might have been all the recent Kick-Assery he's been through, I just felt it was weird you have all this kids somewhat their age and John who looks much older than he is. That discerning fact was only slight, however, as everything else in the film was wonderful.

The cinematography has that very nostalgic look with very good imagery, from the dark and gloomy looking aunt Mimi to the illustrious red firecracker of John's mum. Johnson's own performance was very excellent. He's laying out a good future ahead of himself with the few movies he's done so far, certainly having Nowhere Boy as a great to add to his repertoire. The film establishes and explores some of the key psychological elements of Lennon's life that have been prominent in his history, making it very easy to feel for the guy, no matter how much of a prick he could be at times. His brooding at times portrayal was a good fit, also being accompanied by a good vocal performance.

Wonderful performances all around, though one could argue there weren't any positive female performances, save for those teen dreams who played lust bait for John. In all, seeing the other Beatles made me laugh but still had me wishing that the movie would keep going and diverge into a full-fledged Beatles movie.

In the end, I think it'd be good to state that this was a good Lennon movie but an even better story of a troubled boy, struggling to find his place. The fact that it is about John Lennon is certainly interesting but I doubt you really have to be a hardcore Beatles fan to appreciate the film, or to feel the high emotions that run throughout. Nowhere Boy will toy with your heart and play with your hopes while also serving a fun tale that'll keep you engaged till the end. I will say, however, I am also a huge Beatles fan, so that was an extra added bonus!