Nowhere Boy movie trailer now online

[oldbeatlechick]

What to make of a John Lennon biopic featuring actors that look nothing like Lennon and Paul McCartney and shies away from actual Beatles songs? Actually, that sounds like an interesting idea; I’d rather be sold on a character based on performance, not the fact that the actor looks just like the real person, and if I’m going to watch the formative story behind a major artist I don’t need to be reminded constantly of the person they became after the film ends.

So Nowhere Boy, starring Aaron Johnson as Lennon and Thomas Sangster as McCartney, has been an object of curiosity. Now there’s a trailer for the film, and I’m not yet sold. Check it out after the jump.
Scripted by Matt Greenhalgh and directed by first-time feature director Sam Taylor-Wood, the film focuses on Lennon’s late teen home life and early friendship with Paul McCartney. Kristen Scott Thomas plays Lennon’s conservative aunt, essentially his adoptive mother, and Anne-Marie Duff plays his less reliable birth mother. It’s coming of age stuff, and an invocation of the time period that led to the turbulent decade for which the Beatles were a soundtrack.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/10/28/nowhere-boy-movie-trailer/

[Maggie Mae]

That looks kind of interesting. I'd be willing to see it if it plays at any theatres here. :)

[Maia 66]

I can't WAIT to see it!! I read the script and loved it. The screenwriter also wrote Control about Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Great film!

I think one has to go into this film looking for good cinema, not necessarily Beatle history or anything. From reading the script, I know this will be a very emotional film. John is such an interesting character.... taking a slice of his life and exploring the the whole mother image theme that pretty much informed his art makes for good drama!

I read somewhere it's up for 6 BAFTAs... how could that be when it hasn't even been released? In any case, I looooove indie films and I loooooove John Lennon, so I know I will loooove Nowhere Boy!

[Maia 66]

P.S. THANKS for posting the link!! :teeth1:

Here's a positive review. (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/first-night-nowhere-boy-london-film-festival-1811705.html)

[ilianna]

Looks alright.

[dogman]

obviously there are moments in the film that are factual, however much of it will not be, so i don't see the point of it.

the majority of people who watch this will just assume everything in the film actually happened. it doesn't matter if they've read that this is not so, once you see something like this its hard not to see it as all true. [i think people who maybe know very little about john, even the beatles, won't really know what is true and what is fantasy.]
thats the magic of cinema.

its not only this movie, there have been many before that mixed the real and the unreal, when it comes to the life of a famous person. the reason i object to this type of thing is that a person's opinion, or view of the particular person, can be shaped by what the writer, director, and actors have created.
personally, i would like people to know things that were factual when it comes to john's early life.

you may say that this sort of thing happens all the time in biographical films, the dots are filled in by someone else. as long as the dots ARE filled in, that is what's important. i suppose i'm more critical of this movie than others because its about john.

i saw on the news that yoko requested she see the film before consent was given for the use of the song 'mother'.
she probably knows some of the history of john's early life in liverpool, but naturally most of the particular moment in time that the film covers, she would not.
so to me, it really doesn't validate the whole project whether she gives it the thumbs up or not.

some of you will say that only john himself could actually know all the facts, all the conversations, that happened during this time period? my reply would be that they should of made a film about someone else then!

[mluque125]

I hope they actually portray the relationship between John and Paul because every movie about John I've seen has ignored Paul almost completely.

[taxman]

I hope they actually portray the relationship between John and Paul because every movie about John I've seen has ignored Paul almost completely.

Of course they did, they had to be approved by Yoko :laugh5:

[beatlebangs1964]

I'll reserve judgment until I actually see it. I'm sure it will be good.

[Maggie Mae]

I think we will know better than to believe everything we see (especially since this movie is apparently based on the book by Julia Baird, so it's already one step removed from John Lennon by virtue of it being his sister's remembrances and not his own, right?). It's unfortunate that most people will probably believe this is fact, but that's the case with everything -- as long as it's as close to fact as they can get, it's not a big deal.

And anyway, half of what we remember about our own lives is filled in and made up because we can't possibly remember every little conversation or anything. So even if this film had been written by John himself, it wouldn't be perfect. I guess we'll just have to reserve judgment until the film comes out! :)

[Maia 66]

I hope they actually portray the relationship between John and Paul because every movie about John I've seen has ignored Paul almost completely.

Apparently, an important part of the film is the bonding of John and Paul over the loss of their mothers at such a young age.

And to those who want an accurate depiction of history, even John himself didn't always provide one when speaking about his past! The most important things are the themes of his childhood that influenced who he later became.

[heyjude]

This movie looks very good! However trailers usually are better than the movie nowadays.
But really, anything to do with The Beatles is good.

[ilovethewalrus]

Does anyone know when this movie is supposed to be released? I'm in the U.S. and am interested in seeing it. I can't pass up a chance to see a movie related to a Beatle haha

[wildewoman]

...but will it show the "nap" scene and the black cashmere sweater so puriently discussed in that John bio by old whatshisface?

The guy playing John looks like Harry Potter. Couldn't they have given the actor brown contacts, at least?

That being said, I love Kristen Scott Thomas and I'll probably go see it. Or rent it on Netflix, eventually.

[Maia 66]

This whole issue of the actor not looking like John perplexes me. Tom Hulce looks nothing like Mozart, yet Amadeus is a great film! I just hope that Aaron Johnson captures John's spirit... which, at age 15-17, must have been like catching lightning in a jar!

[Maia 66]

Just wanted to post another positive review (http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m12d6-Nowhere-Boy--a-review-by-Richard-Porter) of the film.

Cheers

[sadie]

I saw this film on Monday and found it very good....people have to remember the film is not about the Beatles so don't expect there to be big references to the others....its about a troubled teenage Johns relationship with his Aunt and his mother in the 50's, so for people wondering why Beatles songs were not used that is why, it was based in the 50's way before they got famous.

[twovirgins]

I almost fell over you posted here again miss you lots (I know you're sick of me saying that)

[oldbeatlechick]

I wanted to see it Sadie but it isn't showing locally as far as I can see but I will investigate further! :-(

[lennonluvr9]

I've heard from a couple people who've seen it who said it was good. That does perk up my interest, to say the least...