At its best, Nowhere Boy is an understated drama about the family turmoil a British teen faces in the 1950’s. At its worst, it’s a biopic chronicling the adolescence of John Lennon. Strong performances and moments of genuine emotion are sometimes overshadowed by disillusioning scenes reminding you that this is the guy from the Beatles! Before he was famous! How can you resist?
Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) plays John Lennon, who is unable to focus on schoolwork and seems to have his head elsewhere. He has been brought up by his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Uncle George (David Threlfall). One day, George dies, and John is left with his strict aunt. Eventually he tracks down his mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) in the next town over, and he is taken on a troubled journey during which he must decide on a maternal figure and a direction for his life to go.
Oh, and he starts a band, dontcha know? The middle third of Nowhere Boy is rife with agonizing scenes complete with introductions to boys named “Paul” and “George”, who are supposedly quite good with the musical instruments. Together, they form a band called The Quarrymen, though it is likely the band name will change sometime in the near future. The meet-and-greets remind me more of the Beatles scene in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story than anything more distinguished. Sadly, Nowhere Boy never introduces us to a hotshot young drummer named Ringo. (Yes, I know he didn’t join until 1962, so chill.)
This is a shame because the more human moments work spectacularly, painting Lennon as more mortal than most biopics are willing to make their subjects. In fact, he’s at the brink of collapse, and while he pretends he doesn’t need guidance it turns out that (and this is going to hurt to type) all he needs is love. Johnson’s lead performance is some wonderful stuff, making Lennon a fully-formed character without reducing himself to impersonation. This John Lennon is not a musical superman destined for glory, but a work in progress.
It’s a young Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster) who comes in like the pint-sized messiah that he is, and even in their teenage years the two start to form a rivalry to become the face of the Quarrymen. Paul is undoubtedly better at first, but John is so used to being in a position of power that this young hotshot is threatening. These scenes, sadly, only bring the movie down to standard origin story levels, and we’re not sure if John is an egomaniac or a needy child.
Nowhere Boy was directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, and this is her first feature film. She brings her artist’s eye along with her to the proceedings, perfectly recreating the mid-century Britain that you don’t see much of in modern film. Unfortunately, pacing is not her strong suit yet, and Nowhere Boy feels long even at just under 100 minutes. Along with the screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh, Taylor-Wood only makes the universal themes they want to deal with more prevalent in bits and spurts, rather than creating a cohesive whole.
The best scene comes right at the climax, when John learns about what exactly happened when he was a child. He learns why his mother left him, where his father is and why he’s spent his entire life with his aunt and uncle. He is left feeling unwanted, and Johnson, as I’ve said before, is positively superb. Nowhere Boy would have been best served focusing on the dynamic between Mimi, Julia and John without bringing music to the forefront. Instead the result grows increasingly muddled, only bringing the central themes to the forefront in bits and spurts. Nowhere Boy is admirable, but also an unfocused clutter.
Rating:
(out of 4)

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