Sam Taylor-Wood's Nowhere Boy is a marvelously moving depiction of the early life of John Lennon, covering the period from when he is about fifteen and first becoming interested in music to when he is nineteen, when he and his band, The Quarrymen, are about to leave for a gig in Hamburg that would see them emerge as the band known all over the world as the Beatles.Everything about this film works. Not only because of a great cast of actors, but in the way that it captures the look and feel not only of Liverpool in the late 50's and early 60's, but also of the transitioning music scene of the period, dominated in the beginning by American jazz and rock & roll but soon to be overturned by what would be called (on our side of the pond anyway) as the British Invasion. One of the many remarkable achievements that Taylor-Wood manages to pull off in the film is the subtle way in which she shows Lennon starting with influences like Buddy Holly and Elvis but then slowly moving to create his own sound, particularly after he connects with an even younger Paul McCartney.
The performances of the entire cast are worthy of praise, but two I feel deserve special attention: Aaron Johnson as John Lennon, and Kristin Scott Thomas as his Aunt Mimi. Johnson was best known for his perfomance as the title character in the cult super-hero film Kick-Ass, but his immersion in Lennon's character in Nowhere Boy was so thorough that he was almost unrecognizable. Scott Thomas, a veteran actress of many films of note, including The English Patient, Four Weddings And A Funeral, and The Other Boleyn Girl, was more recognizable, but all the more remarkable for bringing off the very complex character of Lennon's Aunt Mimi, the woman who raised him from the age of five. To bring out Mimi, Scott Thomas has to portray a woman who is tough as nails, making the hard decisions in life while keeping her inner feelings to herself, but who does in fact have feelings that every now and then must come out for the people she does in fact care deeply about. It is a highly challenging role and Scott Thomas pulls it off magnificently. Both performances are Oscar-worthy and I sincerely hope that the Academy will give them the recognition they so richly deserve.
I highly recommend this film for anyone with an interest in John Lennon, the Beatles, the music of this highly important period, or simply in the lives of musicians and how they become the people the world comes to know. Or for anyone who just loves an extraordinarily well-crafted movie with stellar performances and a truly moving story.
"Nowhere boy" is a quaint film about the early years of John Lennon, in post war Liverpool where he lived until the age of eighteen with his aunt Mimi, a strict and austere woman, the epitome of British propriety, who loved John but whose uptight personality prevented her from expressing this with tenderness or words of love. The role of aunt Mimi is portrayed exceedingly well by Kristin Scott Thomas. Aaron Johnson is an impetuous, impulsive young Lennon whom we are introduced to as he is speeding past the streets of Liverpool, teasing the girls and taunting the boys. He is excellent as the conflicted young man, living in an environment which he finds stifling, not giving him room and scope to express his potential.
John lives with his aunt as his father left when he was five and he is unaware of the whereabouts of his mother. His aunt is disapproving of his rebellious and audacious character, being particularly exacerbated by his poor performance at school and the disrespect he shows towards his teachers. She has also kept secret from him that her sister, John's mother, lives only a mile away from his house. A friend takes him to his mother's where John is reacquainted with the woman he has not seen since the age of five. Julia, played by Ann Marie Duff, is a complete contrast to his reserved aunt Mimi. She is emotional and totally unreserved, expressive in her love and devotion, flighty and erratic in her character. She introduces John to Rock and Roll music, explaining that it expresses uninhibited sexuality. In fact, her own attitude towards her teenage son is more that of a lover, with many sexual connotations and Freudian interpretations.
With his mother's encouragement, who takes John to cafes and dances rock to the jukebox sounds, John asks his aunt to buy him a guitar as he wants to start his own rock band. Mimi reluctantly gives in to his demands, though she remains unaware of John's relationship with his mother. Julia will instruct John how to play and sing, how to dance and what the latest hits are. Julia's husband does not approve of John's frequent visits which seem to affect his wife's taciturn moods. She is prone to depression, so John's volatile personality may wear thin her already fragile state.
Aaron Johnson is wonderful in playing the impudent, mischievous, explosive character of a tempermental young Lennon but I believe that the two women are brilliant so they tend to slightly overshadow his performance. The two sisters are a complete contrast, Thomas is superb as the stiff, unbending but deeply caring aunt, whereas Duff is an eccentric, vulnerable type who goes through phases of isolation and outbursts of exuberance. John feels torn in his love and loyalty between the two women who compete for his affection. He feels lost, confused and betrayed, as he has been deprived of his father and for years of the affection of his mother. He suffers as he must decide where his loyalties lie, his aunt suggesting she deserves more for her devotion and years of dedication. His behaviour becomes more and more delinquent, his consolation being the group he has started. At seventeen he meets Paul McCartney and soon they become close friends, writing and performing their own music.
Sam Taylor Wood gives a great portrayal of the somewhat oppressive atmosphere in post war England, with the omnipresent scarcity of money and availability of products, of the need to painstakingly save penny for penny to buy even the cheapest of guitars. What is not particularly memorable to me is the music, which I expected to play a more predominant role, though I was left with the impression that it was pleasant enough. The film ends when John goes to Germany to give some performances there, making the rest history. I was left with a bittersweet feeling at the end of the film, knowing that what followed was legendary fame and a tragically early death.The story of young John Lennon as a teenager in England. He has been raised by his Aunt and Uncle, and has a strained relationship with his mother. John learns the circumstances of his absentee father's departure during his youth, and has trouble dealing with it. After seeing the adulation that Elvis Presley receives from girls, he forms a local band. Shortly thereafter, he meets a young musician named Paul and.....well, you know where that leads. The lead performance by Aaron Johnson is outstanding. An emotionally gripping look at the growth of John Lennon that has an especially poignant closing which shows still photos of John as he grew into a man.
Read Best Reviews of Nowhere Boy (2010) Here
There have been plenty of biographies and stories written about John Lennon, the world renown English musician and singer-songwriter, most notably known as one of the founding members of The Beatles.But while books have covered the difficulties that John Lennon had faced during his teenage years, no one really had details of his life. All we have heard was how he didn't have a mother, how he got into a lot of trouble and used that teenage angst to form the quarrymen, his first band which led him to one of the greatest musical collaborations and that was Lennon and Paul McCartney meeting, which followed with musician George Harrison joining them and of course, going on to Hamburg, Germany where along with Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best would go on to create the band, The Beatles (at the time, were a five-member band).
But for those who wondered about John Lennon's life, especially being raised by his Aunt Mimi and his troubled relationship with his mother Julia, it was not until 1989 where Lennon's half sister Julia Baird would write the book "John Lennon, My Brother" written with Giuliano and featured a foreword by Paul McCartney. In 2007, she followed up with a second book titled "Imagine This Growing Up with My Brother John Lennon".
In 2009, a film adaptation based on Julia Baird's biography was created. The 2009 British-Canadian biopic focused on John Lennon's adolescence, how he learned to play the guitar, the creation of this first band The Quarrymen and how he would meet Paul McCartney. But also details about his mother and his Aunt Mimi, who raised Lennon.
The film would be the first feature film for director Sam Taylor-Wood and would star young actor (and Wood's current fiance) Aaron Johnson ("Kick-Ass", "The Illusionist", "Shanghai Knights") and Kristin Scott Thomas ("The English Patient", "Gosford Park", "Mission: Impossible". "Nowhere Boy" would be nominated for four British Academy Award Films including a nomination for "Outstanding British Film", "Best Supporting Actress" and "Outstanding Debut by a British Director".
The film would be released in the US in October 2010 to coincide with John Lennon's 70th Birthday.
"Nowhere Boy" is about John Lennon (played by Aaron Johnson), a young man who lives with his Aunt Mimi (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) and his Uncle George (played by David Threlfall). John isn't too much into school and he and his friends often get into trouble or have fun with the girls at his school.
But after the passing of his Uncle George (who was more lenient and happy going than his strict Aunt Mimi), John continues to get into more trouble and eventually getting suspended from school and trying to find ways for his aunt not to find out.
One day as he went out with a friend, he learns that he found where his mother Julia has been living. Assuming that she lived far away, John is shocked that she doesn't live far from where he lives. So, he goes to visit her and despite the awkwardness of their meeting, the two bond remarkably fast and he sees her vibrant and free-will, almost similar to his style.
Julia Lennon lives with John "Bobby" Dykins and their two young daughters Julia and Jacqui. Despite Bobby not so happy to see John cause a change in their family dynamics, he knows that Julia is happy meeting her son again, who she keeps calling him "her dream".
But when John gets suspended once again, he needs to pretend that he is going to school but instead he visits his mother. Both have an appreciation for music and when she takes him to see a theater performance for Elvis Presley, John Lennon is changed. But unfortunately, he doesn't know how to play any instruments. So, Julia goes to teach him how to play the banjo.
When the school contacts Mimi about John's suspension, she learns from his friend the secret that John has been keeping from her. That he has been going to her sister's Julia's home.
This leads to an argument with John and his Aunt Mimi and John goes to live with Julia. Despite Julia and the girls being happy about them living together, her boyfriend Bobby feels she is neglecting the girls and that John needs to go. John overhears this and moves out of his mother's home back to Aunt Mimi and both get back to good terms with each other. But they make a deal. If John does well in school, she will buy him a guitar.
This begins John Lennon's pursuit of being a musician and immediately creates a band with his buddies called "The Quarrymen". They perform at a local gig and eventually impress another 15-year-old musician who wants to meet John Lennon. The boy turns out to be Paul McCartney who shows off his guitar-playing talent which impresses Lennon and eventually Paul becomes a member.
As the film continues to focus on John's pursuit of becoming a musician and in a band, the film focuses on relationships and we learn why John Lennon was raised by his Aunt Mimi, why his mother abandoned him and how he and his new music friends would go on to Hamburg, Germany (where he and his other bandmates would go on to create "The Beatles").
VIDEO:
"Nowhere Boy" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1). The film is absolutely vibrant in colors but also the film utilizes special lens filters to give a faded look in which colors are intentionally softer and not bolder but it looks fantastic. I saw no signs of DNR, no artifacting. Blacks were nice and deep nor did I see any banding.
"Nowhere Boy" features fantastic PQ.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
"Nowhere Boy" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA. The film features a strong center and front channel drive lossless track with dialogue and music becoming clear. There is some use of surround, mainly when it comes to crowd scenes and you can hear the ambiance through those surround channels.
The music for the film is very good, crystal clear and heard no problems with the audio at all. But this is a dialogue and music driven film, so expect to see more center and front channel driven audio.
As for subtitles, "Nowhere Boy" is presented in English and English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Nowhere Boy" features the following special features in standard definition:
* Deleted Scenes (3:55) Featuring two deleted scenes: "John and Julie" and "A Quick Chat".
* The Making of Nowhere Boy (7:46) Featuring interviews with director Sam Taylor Wood and the cast and the making of the film.
* Nowhere Boy: The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of The Beatles (13:10) Director Sam Taylor Wood, Martin Lewis (Beatles Historian), Yoko Onno and others talk about "Nowhere Boy".
JUDGMENT CALL:
When it comes to John Lennon, you think you read or seen it all when it comes to the Beatles by the many writings, biographies, documentaries out there but I have to admit, although I read about how John Lennon got into a bit of trouble as a teen, you never knew how sad his life was.
Yoko Onno said about "Nowhere Boy" that John would have been happy with the film because people would get to learn how sad his life was. And most of all, how he endured from all that pain. What I found pretty interesting, especially since this story was based on Lennon's half sister, Julia Baird's book was how free-spirited their mother Julia was. How she would flirt with John and also flirt with his bandmates (especially with Paul McCartney) and as seen in the film, would upset John Lennon.
We also got to see some of that Lennon and McCartney rivalry as both liked the attention from the women, John much more. But of course, this biggest bombshell was finding out why John Lennon was raised by his Aunt Mimi and abandoned by his mother. And needless to say, the tragedy that took place life not much longer.
"Nowhere Boy" is an exciting and enjoyable biopic for anyone who is fascinated by the Beatles, especially for those who want to learn more about John Lennon and even if you're not a fan. This is one part of his life that has never been featured before in a film or documentary and so, it was a surprise but also quite refreshing to see something that took place in Lennon's adolescence versus his time with the Beatles, after the Beatles and leading up to his death.
The film looks fantastic on Blu-ray and director Sam Taylor-Wood does a great job in bringing Julia Baird's book to life in this film.
But where this Blu-ray release does disappoint me, its because of its lack of special features.
The UK Icon Home entertainment Blu-ray release featured a wonderful audio commentary by director Sam Taylor-Wood but it's not in the US Blu-ray release. We also don't get the "Lennon's Liverpool", "Anatomy of a scene: That's When I Stole him", "Photo Gallery", "Interview", "The Re-Creation of Lennon and the Quarrymen" and more deleted scenes which had a commentary by Sam Taylor-Wood. We do get the newer "Nowhere Boy: The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of the Beatles Featurette". Typically, we tend to get exact to more features of what the UK has and this UK Blu-ray release was back in May 2010.
So, I'm a little bummed out by the lack of special features that did not make it over for the US release. Fortunately, because this Blu-ray release is BD-Live enabled, hopefully Sony chooses to have it available via BD-Live in the near future.
Otherwise, "Nowhere Boy" gives us an idea of how troubled John Lennon was as a teenager and in many ways, it does give me an idea why as an adult, he had trust issues and also got himself into trouble and excessive drug use. The biopic shows us that even before the Beatles, before the Quarrymen, Lennon living without his mother and father and being raised by his strict aunt was tough for him. The film doesn't examine why he had a trouble life growing up but we get to see that pain he had lived with.
I did question the validity of the story at first but after seeing how it was based off Julia Baird's book, and as a young girl, got to know John Lennon as a teenager around the house but also receiving some input from Yoko Onno (who loved the film) and Paul McCartney, you realized that unfortunates circumstances helped shape Lennon's life and eventually leading him and his friends and going to Hamburg, Germany and eventually creating the Beatles.
"Nowhere Boy" is an intriguing, exciting but also sad biopic but it does give us a look at John Lennon's personal life and what shaped him as a musician.
Recommended!
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I've been looking forward to this movie. I've been following reviews and articles about it and the mention of not strictly sticking to the chronological facts, but after seeing "Nowhere Boy" I would say it captures the emotional/psychological truth that John Lennon experienced.Aaron Johnson plays John Lennon, a teenager who is torn between the love of two women, his mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) and his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas). His Aunt has been raising him since age 5 because his mother for unspecified reasons, although it is hinted that it's manic depression, can't take care of him. "Nowhere Boy" follows John Lennon's life from roughly age 14 to 19, a fairly tumultuous period in Lennon's life. Lennon's mother teaches him to play the banjo and indulges him, while his Aunt Mimi must be the responsible parent and tries to instill some discipline in the boy. It is this tug-of-love situation that sends the young Lennon ricocheting between his mother's house and his aunt's house, and slowly pulling the boy apart while his own needs drive him to rebellion and Rock `n' Roll.
While these domestic tidal forces are forming the nascent John Lennon, Lennon is forming the nascent Beatles, The Quarrymen. Lennon forms the band by allowing his school mates to be in the band. Soon Lennon meets Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster) and forms one of the strongest male bonds of his life, and maybe pop music.
Aaron Johnson plays Lennon cool, aloof, even when Lennon's life is unraveling before him and he's learning truths about his life he probably wouldn't have wanted to know. He can't turn back because he instigated the revelations.
Kristin Scott Thomas plays Aunt Mimi as a strong willed woman who at once can also be vulnerable at the death of her husband, or the love in her eyes while Lennon is tearing her apart by rejecting her in favor of his mother, but she stays strong. Anne-Marie Duff's Julia is flighty and raw vulnerability, and her love for John is unquestioned. Sangster while not at first seeming to resemble Paul McCartney developing the qualities of McCartney his love of music and growing commitment to John. The acting has good solid performances, and several scenes are highly emotional because you believe in these people as human beings.
Although these two movies weren't conceived as such and were made 16 years apart, "Nowhere Boy" is sort of a prequel to "Backbeat (Collector's Edition)" and they make nice companion pieces and fit nicely together in the Lennon/Beatles story.
Special Features include a couple of deleted scenes, a making of that includes interviews with the cast and director Sam Taylor Wood, and the documentary Nowhere Boy: The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of The Beatles.
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