Review: Nowhere Boy

The early years of John Lennon (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), raised in 50s Liverpool by his tough Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas). And then his free-spirit mother (Anne-Marie Duff) re-enters the picture, encourages John’s musical pursuits, and all-round makes the boy feel very confused and conflicted between the two women in his life. Since his home life is a bit of a wreck, the young Lennon seeks refuge in the world of music, and tries to start a band, which after a line-up change or two, features the likeminded young Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and a young George Harrison.

 

It’s often difficult watching a movie based on the life of a very well-known person, especially when that person is played on screen by someone who just doesn’t convince. This 2009 film from debut director Sam Taylor-Wood and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh (“Control”, “The Look of Love”) is a pretty interesting film that almost fails because of the dreadful miscasting of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a fella named John Lennon. Y’know, the John Lennon who everyone knows exactly what he looks and sounds like? Yeah, that John Lennon. Apparently Ms. Taylor Wood (Who I believe is now Sam Taylor-Taylor-Wood-Wood-Johnson-Johnson-Fortenski having married her leading man) has never fucking heard of John Lennon, because Aaron Taylor-Johnson-Burton-Rodham-Clinton is absolutely nothing like John Lennon in any way, shape, or form. The film gets John’s penchant for biting sarcasm, but Taylor-Johnson botches the execution of it and gets nothing else right, either. Sure, this is the pre-Beatles John Lennon, but I’m pretty sure Lennon as a youngster didn’t have different coloured and different size eyes, curly hair, and a non-Liverpool accent (The kid playing young George Harrison looks significantly more like John than does Aaron Taylor-Johnson). In fact, no one in this entire film has a Liverpool accent. It’s a film set in 1950s freaking Liverpool! Oh, but Taylor-Johnson has glasses…so there’s that at least. Miscasting the lead role is almost always a fatal blow in a film like this, so it’s amazing that the film manages to stay afloat in spite of Ms. Taylor-Wood’s idiotic casting decisions. That’s because the miscasting, which also includes Thomas Brodie-Sangster as…um…maybe Paul McCartney (it’s hard to tell since he looks and sounds exactly like nerdy little Thomas Brodie-Sangster. I know he was the ‘nice’ one, but geez!), is the only damn thing wrong with it. Everything else works, hell even some of the casting works.

 

The story is undeniably fascinating, as there was no way this story was going to be dull, so long as you don’t expect a film about The Beatles. Lennon’s early life sure does seem like it was filled with a lot of confusion, sadness and deep disappointment, but we also see his early stages as a budding musician. It’s an interesting and in some ways entertaining film, with a terrific performance by Kristin Scott Thomas in particular as his tough but loving Aunt, as well as Anne-Marie Duff as John’s flaky and possibly incestuous mother (The film doesn’t play this angle up as much as other sources do but the hints are there), who clearly wasn’t the right person to bring the boy up. Music, production design and period costuming are all perfectly convincing.

 

It’s just a shame that they’ve cocked up the crucial casting, because the film would’ve been a real winner. These guys don’t even convince as younger versions of these characters, and the accents from everyone are way, way off. Maybe Ms. Taylor Wood had other concerns than getting the right casting for these characters, if you know what I mean. As is, it’s an interesting and enjoyable film in spite of its flaws.

 

Rating: B-