Nowhere Boy (3 stars)

My excitement level to view this film was high. Some might call it dangerously high. Well, not so dangerously high where I needed to be restrained because I was jumping up and down uncontrollably and breaking everything that came into my path. It was a healthy amount of excitement that was a tad above normal. Abinormal if you will. You see, I've been a Beatles fan for as long as I can remember. All of their tunes are permanently stamped onto my brain. So to say that my expectations for this film were any less than superb, is an understatement. Perhaps that factors into the reason I felt let down by the conclusion of the film.

Nowhere Boy is a success. It has a well crafted story, is beautifully shot with plenty of winks at The Beatles, and Aaron Johnson completely transforms into John Lennon. He gives an outstanding performance. By the end of the film, I wanted more. Unfortunately, the whole movie feels like it is merely set up for something bigger. Obviously the film is only meant to cover the teen years of John Lennon before he went to Hamburg with his rock and roll band. Specifically focusing on his relationship with his Aunt Mimi and his first time meeting with his mother Julia, and their subsequent relationship. In that sense of the story, the film was successful; however, I believe that because I am so familiar with the rest of the story of John Lennon, I wish the film had ventured further into his Hamburg days leading up to the Beatles. The movie seemed to chug along and then when it should have really taken off, it ended. I suppose if the film were made with fictional characters, I would have been more accepting of the conclusion. 

Now, getting back to the relationship between John and his mother. This was the most interesting aspect of the film. His mother and him almost seemed like they were dating. She had such a carefree, fun attitude about everything. It was uncomfortable at times to watch their warped relationship and it became clear why his Aunt Mimi took John when he was young. Mimi was the complete opposite of Julia. She was strict, barely smiled, and didn't seem to ever have fun. Despite this, she was responsible. Julia was not. It's tragic the way Julia's life ended so abruptly, especially as John was just beginning to form a relationship with her. It would have been interesting to see how different things would have been if she wasn't torn out of John's life again. Yet, the film wouldn't be as interesting without this element of the story and John's rebel without a cause attitude about life.

The Breakdown: Do you have to be a Beatles fan to enjoy this film? Absolutely not. The movie stands on its own, but coming from a Beatles fan's perspective, I felt the movie was one long set up with not a big enough payoff. It is a good dramatic piece of cinema that sheds light on John Lennon's Liverpool days, but never seems to take off. It just hovers.