Nowhere Boy

Based on a memoir by John Lennon’s half-sister Julia Baird, director Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy looks at the famous Beatle’s turbulent youth—those formative teenage years in Liverpool that shaped the creative and passionate musician that Lennon would become. In 1955, Lennon (Aaron Johnson) was an angst-ridden, rebellious 15 year-old being raised by his prim, strict disciplinarian Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her husband (David Threlfall). Lennon doesn’t realize that the woman he knows as vivacious, free-spirited, emotionally unstable Aunt Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) is really his mother and that he was “kidnapped” by Aunt Mimi at the age of five when he wanted to go away with his dad to New Zealand. About the time he discovers the complex, somewhat sordid truth of his origins, Lennon becomes enamored with Elvis Presley and rock ‘n’ roll, and forms a local band known as The Quarrymen, which will eventually include Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster) and George Harrison (Sam Bell). A tumultuous family melodrama that takes its title from a school headmaster’s telling cheeky young Lennon that he’s going nowhere, Nowhere Boy benefits not only from Johnson’s uncanny resemblance to Lennon, but also his ability to capture both the insecurity and insouciance of the young musician. A poignant, perceptive biographical film that delves into the psychology behind Lennon’s lyrics (“Mother, you had me, but I never had you”), this is sure to appeal to Beatles’ aficionados. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of The Beatles” featurette (13 min.), a “making-of” featurette (8 min.), deleted scenes (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a winning biopic.] (S. Granger)