DVD review: ‘Nowhere Boy’

1.7k Views

NOWHERE BOY is a warm little film about the pre-fame teen years of John Lennon. If you missed it in limited release last year, don’t miss it on video.

Nowhere Boy - dvd cover (Weinstein Company)
A British indie film, NOWHERE BOY stars up and comer Aaron Johnson (best known for his starring turn in last year’s KICK-ASS) as Lennon. Johnson is already building a reputation for being a master of accents, so it’s a pleasure to watch him delve into a Liverpuldian accent and portray a young John Lennon as a troubled youth searching for answers about his mother.
It would have too easy and too corny for NOWHERE BOY to name-drop every Beatle song, but to screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh’s credit, the film doesn’t even mention the word “Beatle.” Based on Lennon’s sister’s memoir, director Sam Taylor-Wood creates a very familial and intimate drama as the young John Lennon desperately tries to establish a relationship with his mother while using his music as therapy. The songs are rough and raw late 50s early 60s, and the musical performances are full of vigor.
Lennon was apparently raised by an aunt, but when he hit his teens, he was reunited with his mother. NOWHERE BOY features a wonderful cast which includes Oscar-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (ENGLISH PATIENT, GOSFORD PARK) as Aunt Mimi and Anne-Marie Duff (THE LAST STATION) as Lennon’s mother, Julia. Given the film’s low budget, NOWHERE BOY is quite an accomplishment as a period drama/musical.

Aaron Johnson in 'Nowhere Boy' - (Weinstein company)

NOWHERE BOY is a warm little film about the pre-fame teen years of John Lennon. If you missed it in limited release last year, don’t miss it on video.
A British indie film, NOWHERE BOY stars up and comer Aaron Johnson (best known for his starring turn in last year’s KICK-ASS) as Lennon. Johnson is already building a reputation for being a master of accents, so it’s a pleasure to watch him delve into a Liverpuldian accent and portray a young John Lennon as a troubled youth searching for answers about his mother.
It would have too easy and too corny for NOWHERE BOY to name-drop every Beatle song, but to screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh’s credit, the film doesn’t even mention the word “Beatle.” Based on Lennon’s sister’s memoir, director Sam Taylor-Wood creates a very familial and intimate drama as the young John Lennon desperately tries to establish a relationship with his mother while using his music as therapy. The songs are rough and raw late 50s early 60s, and the musical performances are full of vigor.
Lennon was apparently raised by an aunt, but when he hit his teens, he was reunited with his mother. NOWHERE BOY features a wonderful cast which includes Oscar-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (ENGLISH PATIENT, GOSFORD PARK) as Aunt Mimi and Anne-Marie Duff (THE LAST STATION) as Lennon’s mother, Julia. Given the film’s low budget, NOWHERE BOY is quite an accomplishment as a period drama/musical.

Official website: http://www.nowhereboy.com/

Charlize Theron to join Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ prequel, “Prometheus”

ELOGY is the “ONE”