I saw the DVD in a library yesterday, haven't seen it in years and thought I'd give it another spin. I enjoyed the movie more this time around than I previously had. Granted, for a while my first viewing, I couldn't hear the song "Silly Love Songs" without the voice of Jared Harris sneering the title. When I saw it again last night, I knew it was over 40 years since they hung out and blew off crashing the set of Saturday Night, but I was still thinking "oh, please, please let it be". For years I'd imagined what that crash-guest spot would have looked and sounded like. Later on, folks such as Streisand and Madonna popped up, but it was SO not the same.
Anyway, on a Saturday afternoon in 1976, Paul (Aidan Quinn) is on tour in New York and decides to stop by John's (Jared Harris) apartment for a visit. John's a bit skeptical over why he turned up, but since he was convinced Paul wasn't interested in getting the Beatles back together, he relaxed and they had a great chat, meditating in the bedroom, out for a bite at a neighborhood diner, and a nice intimate chat on the rooftop of the Dakota. There are some tense moments, even an after-the-fact row from both points of view about how the rest of the band treated Yoko when she gate-crashed their careers. You honest feel for both of them. I for one wouldn't really know what to do on either side. Would I be nicer to my buddy's girlfriend, as much as I was put off by her? Would I be super-defensive and think my buddies were ganging up on me and were out to get me and hated me because of this chick I've been seeing? It's a tough call.
A highlight for me is when John and Paul sneak off to a diner to grab some decidedly non-macrobiotic food, Paul is unrecognizable in his disguise, as no one does recognize him, but a couple of fans spot John and make his time in the diner miserable, even an older couple who beg him to sing their favorite song, "Yesterday". The real John Lennon would have gone insane if anyone was stupid enough to ask him to do so. If he ever did that. talk about cringe worthy.
About that diner scene, I'd never noticed this before, but it was especially creepy when I spotted what looked like bullet holes on the glass partition on John's side of the booth. His head was right near the bullet marks and it gave me a chill.
And now for the moment we've all been waiting for...Paul's watching Saturday Night and John's fast asleep. As soon as Lorne Michaels says John's and Paul's names, along with those of George and Ringo, and offers to pay them $3,000, Paul nudges John awake, and says "let's go". They scurry about the place, getting their gear, but.....THE PHONE RINGS.....It turns out Yoko was returning a call John had placed to her early in the afternoon. As soon as he says "it's Yoko", he immediately goes down into an almost-fetal position, mumbling incoherently. With coat on and guitar in hand, Paul sees this unfolding before his unfortunate eyes, grimaces in resignation and waves and whispers "I gotta go"...and he takes off while John reverts to infancy.
Twenty years after this bit first aired, twenty five years after the events unfolded in real life, I still want to scream "OH GOD, WHY DIDN'T YOU GO! WHY HATH THOU FORSAKEN US???" I know it's crazy and I'm glad I didn't actually say it out loud, but it was a fun thought.
Aidan Quinn was just about tops as Paul - he even resembles him, but once in a while his accent goes down into a deep American accent (I think that's his real voice). Jared Harris - I really don't know who he was mimicking in this, but as he'd previously played Andy Warhol movie ("I Shot Andy Warhol") I was thinking it's Andy doing a bad Liverpool accent. He didn't sound a damn thing like John, and trust me, I've heard tons of interviews with him over the years. I think the only thing Harris got right was.....maybe the hair? Oh, wait, I know who he sounded like - he sounded like Wilfred Brambell, Paul's CLEAN grandfather in "A Hard Day's Night". Yep, that was it.
Watch it, though, if and when you can. Suspend your disbelief and think to yourself, "at least it's not Al Brodax's Beatles cartoon series".
Anyway, on a Saturday afternoon in 1976, Paul (Aidan Quinn) is on tour in New York and decides to stop by John's (Jared Harris) apartment for a visit. John's a bit skeptical over why he turned up, but since he was convinced Paul wasn't interested in getting the Beatles back together, he relaxed and they had a great chat, meditating in the bedroom, out for a bite at a neighborhood diner, and a nice intimate chat on the rooftop of the Dakota. There are some tense moments, even an after-the-fact row from both points of view about how the rest of the band treated Yoko when she gate-crashed their careers. You honest feel for both of them. I for one wouldn't really know what to do on either side. Would I be nicer to my buddy's girlfriend, as much as I was put off by her? Would I be super-defensive and think my buddies were ganging up on me and were out to get me and hated me because of this chick I've been seeing? It's a tough call.
A highlight for me is when John and Paul sneak off to a diner to grab some decidedly non-macrobiotic food, Paul is unrecognizable in his disguise, as no one does recognize him, but a couple of fans spot John and make his time in the diner miserable, even an older couple who beg him to sing their favorite song, "Yesterday". The real John Lennon would have gone insane if anyone was stupid enough to ask him to do so. If he ever did that. talk about cringe worthy.
About that diner scene, I'd never noticed this before, but it was especially creepy when I spotted what looked like bullet holes on the glass partition on John's side of the booth. His head was right near the bullet marks and it gave me a chill.
And now for the moment we've all been waiting for...Paul's watching Saturday Night and John's fast asleep. As soon as Lorne Michaels says John's and Paul's names, along with those of George and Ringo, and offers to pay them $3,000, Paul nudges John awake, and says "let's go". They scurry about the place, getting their gear, but.....THE PHONE RINGS.....It turns out Yoko was returning a call John had placed to her early in the afternoon. As soon as he says "it's Yoko", he immediately goes down into an almost-fetal position, mumbling incoherently. With coat on and guitar in hand, Paul sees this unfolding before his unfortunate eyes, grimaces in resignation and waves and whispers "I gotta go"...and he takes off while John reverts to infancy.
Twenty years after this bit first aired, twenty five years after the events unfolded in real life, I still want to scream "OH GOD, WHY DIDN'T YOU GO! WHY HATH THOU FORSAKEN US???" I know it's crazy and I'm glad I didn't actually say it out loud, but it was a fun thought.
Aidan Quinn was just about tops as Paul - he even resembles him, but once in a while his accent goes down into a deep American accent (I think that's his real voice). Jared Harris - I really don't know who he was mimicking in this, but as he'd previously played Andy Warhol movie ("I Shot Andy Warhol") I was thinking it's Andy doing a bad Liverpool accent. He didn't sound a damn thing like John, and trust me, I've heard tons of interviews with him over the years. I think the only thing Harris got right was.....maybe the hair? Oh, wait, I know who he sounded like - he sounded like Wilfred Brambell, Paul's CLEAN grandfather in "A Hard Day's Night". Yep, that was it.
Watch it, though, if and when you can. Suspend your disbelief and think to yourself, "at least it's not Al Brodax's Beatles cartoon series".