I am a total nut about The Beatles, particularly John Lennon, and particularly when he was young. In spite of a few character flaws (the occasional smacking around girlfriends, etc.), pre-Yoko Lennon was always my favorite Beatle, and frankly one of my personal heroes.
I went into this movie already thoroughly acquainted with the story of Lennon's upbringing, of Mimi vs. Julia, The Quarrymen, art college, etc. Having been burned by movies like "Backbeat" and "Birth of The Beatles", I was bracing myself for a barrage of misinformation, out-of-order chronology, and embarrassing rock n' roll clichés. All in all I was very pleasantly surprised. The attention to detail and historical accuracy was such a breath of fresh air after all the years of sub-par Beatle bio-flicks.
It was a joy to see how faithfully they re-created Mimi and George's house. They had John Lennon's actual childhood artwork and photos hanging around. They found an identical guitar to the one he first played in school, etc. But the main thing I wanted to write about are the characters: I was particularly happy to see the way Aunt Mimi was portrayed. She always gets a bad rep as this shrewd, cold, mean old lady, and it always bugs the crud out of me (actually, in the initial script she was written that way; McCartney and Yoko had to tell Sam Taylor-Wood it was unfair to her). She and Lennon were super-close; at odds sometimes, but they always had a deep love for one another.
However, it was a little distressing to me how poor Julia was treated. The movie makes her out to be some neglectful, childish strumpet who never bothered to know her son until he was almost grown. The truth is Julia and John saw each other during his childhood as often as circumstances allowed (albeit infrequently), and were very close in the years leading to her death. It doesn't seem as if the real Julia was as loose and out of control as the movie implies. I think it was more that her whimsy and eccentricity bothered straight-laced Mimi. Mimi allegedly got custody of John after ranting and raving to child services that her sister was "unfit to be a parent" and insisted on taking him. Given how old-fashioned Mimi was, there's a good chance that Julia's "hard living" was blown way out of proportion (ironically, there's some evidence that Mimi was having an affair with her student lodger, Michael - hypocrite, much?). By today's standards, their whole family situation isn't really that scandalous (*gasp*, "you sleep with someone you're not married to!"), but I suppose it was for then. Just some food for thought.
I was also a little rubbed that they had young Paul McCartney acting like John's teacher or something. He might've known more chords, or written a song or two, but he and Lennon were both relatively clueless when they began playing together. Lennon asking him "Why do you know so much?" - kinda lame considering that McCartney was pretty in awe of him too.
Lastly, the man, the myth, the legend himself: I think this movie hits closest to the mark on young Lennon's personality out of any film ever made about him. He was a complex guy, especially in his youth (before he was Mr. "Peace and Love"). I think the tough guy posturing was probably dead on. The unchecked confidence that just oozes from Aaron Johnson's pores really sells it. You get the sense that teenage Lennon is only bluffing his "dangerous troublemaker" bit, which was probably the case. I would've liked to have seen a little more of his sense of humor (the classic cheeky Lennon wit is missing a little bit). Although I appreciate the effort to also have him show some sensitivity, I think in this movie it's the wrong kind.
I think John could've been written a little friendlier, warmer, kinder. Despite his teddy boy image, he apparently could be a sweetheart (you know, when not mocking the disabled or swearing at old ladies). It's the mixture of that "I'm a badass" hardness and who he was underneath that make him such a fascinating character.
It's common knowledge that his family situation was something he was deeply embarrassed about, and that his mother's death was really hard on him, but young Lennon was also notorious for hiding any emotion that wasn't blind rage. I seriously doubt that he would've gotten into some screamy-crying emotional spat with Mimi and his mom. I mean, come on - punching out Paul, running out of the house crying like some whiny little brat? Where's the chilled-out, laid back sarcastic guy we all know and love? Lennon was plenty interesting enough on his own - no need to make him carry on like a soap star.
In the end, I have to keep in mind that it's only a movie, and compared to what's come before it I think it does a relatively wonderful job of showing what life was like for the young, pre "fab" Beatles; the history is pretty on the nuggets (it would've been cool to see Stu make an appearance, but you can't have everything), the writing and the acting are superb, and It's cool to see so much of Liverpool. Go watch it. Right now. Do it. Now.
I went into this movie already thoroughly acquainted with the story of Lennon's upbringing, of Mimi vs. Julia, The Quarrymen, art college, etc. Having been burned by movies like "Backbeat" and "Birth of The Beatles", I was bracing myself for a barrage of misinformation, out-of-order chronology, and embarrassing rock n' roll clichés. All in all I was very pleasantly surprised. The attention to detail and historical accuracy was such a breath of fresh air after all the years of sub-par Beatle bio-flicks.
It was a joy to see how faithfully they re-created Mimi and George's house. They had John Lennon's actual childhood artwork and photos hanging around. They found an identical guitar to the one he first played in school, etc. But the main thing I wanted to write about are the characters: I was particularly happy to see the way Aunt Mimi was portrayed. She always gets a bad rep as this shrewd, cold, mean old lady, and it always bugs the crud out of me (actually, in the initial script she was written that way; McCartney and Yoko had to tell Sam Taylor-Wood it was unfair to her). She and Lennon were super-close; at odds sometimes, but they always had a deep love for one another.
However, it was a little distressing to me how poor Julia was treated. The movie makes her out to be some neglectful, childish strumpet who never bothered to know her son until he was almost grown. The truth is Julia and John saw each other during his childhood as often as circumstances allowed (albeit infrequently), and were very close in the years leading to her death. It doesn't seem as if the real Julia was as loose and out of control as the movie implies. I think it was more that her whimsy and eccentricity bothered straight-laced Mimi. Mimi allegedly got custody of John after ranting and raving to child services that her sister was "unfit to be a parent" and insisted on taking him. Given how old-fashioned Mimi was, there's a good chance that Julia's "hard living" was blown way out of proportion (ironically, there's some evidence that Mimi was having an affair with her student lodger, Michael - hypocrite, much?). By today's standards, their whole family situation isn't really that scandalous (*gasp*, "you sleep with someone you're not married to!"), but I suppose it was for then. Just some food for thought.
I was also a little rubbed that they had young Paul McCartney acting like John's teacher or something. He might've known more chords, or written a song or two, but he and Lennon were both relatively clueless when they began playing together. Lennon asking him "Why do you know so much?" - kinda lame considering that McCartney was pretty in awe of him too.
Lastly, the man, the myth, the legend himself: I think this movie hits closest to the mark on young Lennon's personality out of any film ever made about him. He was a complex guy, especially in his youth (before he was Mr. "Peace and Love"). I think the tough guy posturing was probably dead on. The unchecked confidence that just oozes from Aaron Johnson's pores really sells it. You get the sense that teenage Lennon is only bluffing his "dangerous troublemaker" bit, which was probably the case. I would've liked to have seen a little more of his sense of humor (the classic cheeky Lennon wit is missing a little bit). Although I appreciate the effort to also have him show some sensitivity, I think in this movie it's the wrong kind.
I think John could've been written a little friendlier, warmer, kinder. Despite his teddy boy image, he apparently could be a sweetheart (you know, when not mocking the disabled or swearing at old ladies). It's the mixture of that "I'm a badass" hardness and who he was underneath that make him such a fascinating character.
It's common knowledge that his family situation was something he was deeply embarrassed about, and that his mother's death was really hard on him, but young Lennon was also notorious for hiding any emotion that wasn't blind rage. I seriously doubt that he would've gotten into some screamy-crying emotional spat with Mimi and his mom. I mean, come on - punching out Paul, running out of the house crying like some whiny little brat? Where's the chilled-out, laid back sarcastic guy we all know and love? Lennon was plenty interesting enough on his own - no need to make him carry on like a soap star.
In the end, I have to keep in mind that it's only a movie, and compared to what's come before it I think it does a relatively wonderful job of showing what life was like for the young, pre "fab" Beatles; the history is pretty on the nuggets (it would've been cool to see Stu make an appearance, but you can't have everything), the writing and the acting are superb, and It's cool to see so much of Liverpool. Go watch it. Right now. Do it. Now.