Nowhere Boy

This film is about the teenage John Lennon at a pivotal point in his life during the years 1955-1960. The plot focuses on his relationship with his aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his mother Julia, who reappears in his life after being absent throughout his childhood. At this time John is drawn to rock 'n' roll music and begins the formation of a band, The Quarrymen.

As John, British actor Aaron Johnson is practically unrecognizable from his previous role as Dave Lizewski in Kick Ass, in which he played a bullied American teenager who decides to become a superhero. Not only does Johnson have the Liverpudlian accent down, but he also plays the banjo and guitar and does his own singing in the film. I was very impressed with his performance, in addition to those of his co-stars. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Mimi, who avoids showing or sharing emotions at all costs, even after the death of her husband. Despite her somewhat cold exterior, her love for John is still conveyed through her daily reminders of "glasses!" as he walks out the door, or the disappointed look on her face when he comes home late after a birthday party at Julia's. Julia, played by Anne-Marie Duff, teaches John to play the banjo and shares her love of the latest rock 'n' roll songs with him. Very free-spirited, she behaves more like a friend to John than a mother. She wants to make up for lost time with John, despite the objections of her husband and Mimi.

Nowhere Boy also shows John's first meetings with Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays Paul, and one of my favorite sequences in the film is John and Paul recording the song "In Spite of All the Danger." I recommend this movie to you if you enjoy biopics, Beatles music, or just want to check out the talent of rising star Aaron Johnson.

NEW DVD DRAMA NOWHERE
Find it in the catalog!