The cast are strong but we can never quite suspend disbelief they way you can in the best re-enactments ('Ray' or "Man in the Moon"). Maybe we know Lennon and McCartney too well. Maybe 30% of the time they have real chemistry. The movie is more serious than one might expect. It might have been better emphasizing the zany moments and the comic interplay, with dramatic tension at the beginning and end. It's heavy on McCartney probing Lennon's issues and insecurities. It may be historically accurate that Lennon went off the deep end with drugs and narcissistic provocations, artistically and in personal dealings, but presenting him as a sad sack and tragic figure and stripping away the charisma and brilliance takes away from the drama. It attempts a deep portrait but nobly falls a little short. Feels like an award-winning school play. There's material in here for a pretty great movie like 'Mozart' meets 'That Championship Season' but ultimately falls a bit short.
