Since I knew nothing about John Lennon’s early years, I found the rather bleak “Nowhere Boy” interesting. Abandoned by his parents as a child, Lennon (Aaron Johnson) has been adopted by his Aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott-Thomas) and Uncle George (David Threlfall). His adolescence is filled with rebellion and what seems to save him is his interest in rock ‘n’ roll. Then he meets his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) who, unbeknownst to him, lives just minutes away. Married with two more children, Julia’s like a free-spirited child herself, sensitive to John’s feelings, but compulsively and embarrassingly flirtatious. It’s obvious that, psychologically, she’s extremely fragile. John is conflicted, torn between the rather prim woman who raised him and the unconventional mother he wants to get to know better. Meanwhile, there’s John’s burgeoning relationship with Paul McCartney, who, even as a 15-year old, is talented and full of poise.
Aaron Johnson, while not bearing a close physical resemblance to Lennon, manages to convey his essence – his wit, his intelligence and flashes of his deep-seated anger – with clear understanding. And Scott-Thomas elicits sympathy for a woman who is so reserved that she barely tolerates displays of emotion. Because “Nowhere Boy,” written by Matt Greenhalgh, based on a memoir by Julia Baird, Lennon’s half sister, focuses on John’s relationship with his aunt and his mother, it deliberately ignores the birth of the Beatles. Nonetheless, I would have liked a little more detail about the development of John, Paul and George as musicians. 10/18/10
1 comment:
This was an interesting film about the early years of John Lennon and the Beetles. I really had no idea that John had such a troubled childhood with no dad and a mom who left him with an aunt. If your a Beetle fan and, especially a John Lennon fan, go see this, very interesting.
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