NOWHERE BOY Review

GRADE: 4 out of 5

NOWHERE BOY is about more or less a triangle love story, not between 3 lovers but.. two moms over one son, John Lennon and this whole sentimental dysfunctional family melodrama may or may not work for some. Some might wonder if this is the side of Lennon that needs to be told. It does have remarkable acting and a story that’s filled with rage and heartache. I wouldn’t consider it a feel-good film, I wouldn’t call it inspiring either but it doesn’t insult the memory of Lennon in any way…

Imagine… John Lennon’s childhood. Liverpool 1955: a smart and troubled fifteen year-old is hungry for experience. In a family full of secrets, two incredible women clash over John: Mimi, the buttoned-up Aunt who raised him, and Julia, the prodigal mother. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into the new and exciting world of rock n’ roll where his fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the teenage Paul McCartney. Just as John begins his new life, tragedy strikes. But a resilient young man finds his voice – and an icon explodes into the world.

Aaron Johnson surprised me in Kick-Ass, because for a young Brit actor, he’s got an almost perfect American accent. Of course in NOWHERE BOY, you get to see and hear the Brit Johnson. He doesn’t look like Lennon. In fact, when this project was in development, I was vouching for Paul Dano to get the role but Johnson manages to capture what may have been Lennon’s pain and desire, the very essence that I believe compels artists to do what they do, to express their feelings and excel in their creativity, be it through music or some other medium.
Johnson is definitely a young talent that shouldn’t be ignored. He’s a very passionate actor who shows early strong signs of commanding performance. He’s still far from recognitions but he’s headed in the right direction. As young John Lennon, Johnson at least understands that just like any other teen, he’d be rebellious, filled with raging hormone and driven by the stubbornness to be someone great, he became a bit egotistical.

I gotta give credit to the two marvelous actresses who play Lennon’s moms in this movie. Well, one is more like his aunt who raised him and the other is his mom who abandoned him years ago. I’m talkin’ about Kristin Scott Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff. As sisters from different ends of the spectrum, both actresses pretty much control the screen and hold our attention captive. Especially Anne-Marie Duff, the way she plays her fragile, carefree yet worrysome and regretful character is fascinating, so effortless. She gives you a woman who’d make you wanna yell some sense into her and at the same time you can’t help but feel sorry because a part of you feels like she can’t help being how she is and there’s no changing her situation.

If you’ve come to watch the rise of The Beatles, you might be disappointed, because they’re still the Quarrymen in this film. The band practically plays only supporting role, but if you’ve come to watch a well-written, well-acted, well-made drama, then director Sam Taylor-Wood has NOWHERE BOY for you. It’s like watching a tug-o-war with Lennon caught right in the middle of it. Whether or not he can forgive the two women, if he can forgive himself will be determine whether or not he’d become the Lennon that the world comes to remember.