That'll Be the Day (1973)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Claude Whatham

Writer:

Ray Connolly (writer)

Release Date:

12 April 1973 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Plot:

Abandoned by his father at an early age, Jim MacLaine seems to have inherited the old man's restlessness...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Coming Of Age | Teenage Boy | Adolescence | Friendship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.

Cast

David Essex	...	Jim MacLaine
Ringo Starr	...	Mike
Rosemary Leach	...	Mrs. MacLaine
James Booth	...	Mr. MacLaine
Billy Fury	...	Stormy Tempest
Keith Moon	...	J.D. Clover
Rosalind Ayres	...	Jeanette
Brenda Bruce	...	Doreen
Robert Lindsay	...	Terry
Verna Harvey	...	Wendy
James Ottaway	...	Granddad
Deborah Watling	...	Sandra
Beth Morris	...	Jean
Daphne Oxenford	...	Mrs. Sutcliffe
Kim Braden	...	Charlotte

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 (video rating: 1995) | Finland:K-3 (DVD rating: 2008) | Australia:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Isle of Wight, England, UK

Company:

Goodtimes Enterprises

Trivia:

It is rumoured that Nilsson made a cameo appearance in the film which may have ended up on the cutting room floor.

Goofs:

Continuity: We see Jim take out a Buddy Holly album to play on his record player, but what we then hear is "Donna" by Richie Valens.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Stardust (1974)

Soundtrack:

That's All Right Mama

That'll Be the Day (1973) ***

David Essex takes on the lead role of Jimmy McLaine, a young man living in working class Britain during the late 1950s, when American rock 'n' roll was King of England. Growing up with a good deal of angst after his dad walked out on the family when Jimmy was still only a boy, McLaine finds himself fed up with school and the more conventional way of life and decides to abandon his struggling mother, striking out on his own. Settling for odd jobs here and there, Jim finds a sidekick in the humorous and more experienced Mike (played by ex-Beatle Ringo Starr) and the pair of delinquents engage in petty crime in between bedding down as many local ladies as they can get their hands on. When Jimmy begins to have a change of heart he returns home to mom and settles down, only to find that he must make the ultimate decision on whether to confront his responsibilities or indulge his passion for being a rock and roll star.

David Essex is good as Jim, and Ringo Starr gives maybe the finest performance of his occasional acting career as Mike, who becomes Jimmy's mentor and room mate. It's amazing how well the 33-year-old former Beatle pulls off the role of a young kid, and the same may be said for an over-aged Essex. The film perfectly captures the climate of England in the late 1950s and benefits from a huge array of classic American oldies on the music soundtrack, from artists like Ritchie Valens, Del Shannon, The Big Bopper, Bobby Darin and others.

After I saw this I read that it's been said that this story was patterned after a young John Lennon, and while I can agree (with the benefit of hindsight) that there are some similarities between John's life and the Essex character here, even as a die-hard Beatles fan I didn't pick up on this during my actual viewing of the film. It is loosely based on Lennon at best (John's dad also left him, he loved rock music, and he had a wreckless nature as a youth).