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Oct 12, 2010 By Chris Tinkham Issue #33 - Fall 2010 - Interpol

A biopic that chronicles the family life of John Lennon during his troubled teen years, Nowhere Boy arrives in the U.S. on the heels of Kick-Ass, another film starring Aaron Johnson in a lead role. If Johnson was anonymously forgettable in Kick-Ass, he is a revelation here, portraying the young Lennon as a witty-but-unsophisticated, brash-but-insecure young artist. Estranged from his father and young mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), Lennon is raised by his stuffy, well-intentioned aunt Mimi, played marvelously by Kristin Scott Thomas.

As is often the case with biopics, the eventful moments come hard and quick, and here they at times lapse into soap opera drama. Yet the film is not without wonderful nuances, particularly the music, which showcases late ‘50s rock (Duane Eddy, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) and alternate or more obscure Lennon tracks. The early Beatles incarnation The Quarrymen is portrayed, and Johnson handles the vocals throughout the film with aplomb. The budding rivalry between Lennon and McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster) is overplayed, but the look that Johnson flashes Sangster, when McCartney upstages Lennon with a guitar solo, is priceless. (www.nowhereboy.com)

Author rating: 6/10