Blu-Ray Review: Strong Performances Bring Rhythm to Great ‘Nowhere Boy’

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CHICAGO – “Do you know what it means? Rock ‘n’ roll? Sex.” To a kid trying to both get laid as often as possible and break out of the numbing routine he sees most of his friends go through, a line like this can be life-changing. “Nowhere Boy” certainly implies that it was for John Lennon, as it came near the beginning of his love of music and we all know where that led. “Kick-Ass” star Aaron Johnson plays Lennon in this surprisingly interesting drama, one that doesn’t purport to give us all the answers about one of the most influential musicians of all time but offers a human look at his formative years.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

The key element of “Nowhere Boy” that really allows it to be as successful as it is dramatically was the recognition that John Lennon wasn’t born the savior of modern music. One never gets the over-blown sense that this is the story of the birth of a hero but rather a coming-of-age tale that was more common than idol-creating. The circumstances that inspired Lennon and led to the birth of The Beatles were certainly helped by the man’s God-given talents but he was also a product of his poignant environment. With strong performances throughout, a subtle script, and, of course, great music, “Nowhere Boy” is worth a look even if you don’t know your George songs from your Ringo ones.

Johnson subtly plays Lennon in his teenage years as he started to get in trouble at school and ditched the old-fashioned guardianship of his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) for that of his rebellious mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), who had actually lived in walking distance while still being too much trouble for her son. While his mother inspires Lennon’s rebellious side, he clearly still holds a grudge for being left in the first place and even finds it a bit odd that she now throws parties for him and his mates.

Nowhere Boy
Nowhere Boy
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

The dynamic between John and his “two mothers” (the one who raised him and the one who birthed him) defines much of “Nowhere Boy” and works in two ways. It’s dramatically rich for those who don’t know a thing about Lennon but also makes one wonder how it inspired him creatively and in his philanthropic ventures later in life. Matt Greenhaigh’s script wisely doesn’t draw direct lines between Lennon’s unusual dual home life and what he would accomplish later, leaving Beatles fans merely to wonder how it plays into his songwriting. It feels like the “one conservative, one liberal” dynamic created a multi-faceted performer, but that’s an interpretation, not something that’s overly underlined in the film, which it easily could have been.

Duff, Thomas, and Johnson are the core of “Nowhere Boy” and all three are very good, particularly in a scene when John learns the truth about his past with his mother from Aunt Mimi — it’s a GREAT scene.


Who would have guessed that there was such an interesting drama in the teen years of John Lennon that wasn’t purely about when he met Paul and George but how he dealt with a mother who both abandoned and inspired him? Imagine that — a person in your life who you hate but who also gave you the passion that would define your life. No wonder John Lennon was such a complex person. And Johnson nails that growing complexity, as rebellion turns to something more when you realize what you’re rebelling against. Thomas Sangster as Paul McCartney also shines as a pure joy for us Beatles fans has to be watching their dynamic develop, largely through the bond of lost mothers (Paul’s had died of cancer a year before he met John).

“Nowhere Boy” drags at times, surprising given its short length, and I wished for another chapter or subplot but the focus of the film is both its strength and a minor weakness. Instead of creating a piece of hero worship, “Nowhere Boy” takes a hero and makes him real, something that’s much harder to pull off.

Special Features:
o Deleted Scenes
o The Making of Nowhere Boy
o Nowhere Boy: The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of The Beatles

“Nowhere Boy” stars Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, and Thomas Sangster. It was written by Matt Greenhalgh and directed by Sam Taylor-Wood. It is rated R and was released by Sony Pictures Classics on Blu-ray and DVD on January 25th, 2011.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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