Two of Us (TV 2000)

John Lennon and Paul McCartney have a chat about their lives, and if "The Beatles" will ever reunite. The movie takes place in 1976.

Director:

Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Writer:

Mark Stanfield

Stars:

Aidan Quinn, Jared Harris, Ric Reid

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aidan Quinn	...	Paul McCartney
Jared Harris	...	John Lennon
Ric Reid	...	TV Interviewer
Martin Martinuzzi	...	Limo Driver
Neil Foster	...	Concierge
Joe Bostick	...	Elevator Attendant
Jeremy Tracz	...	Political Activist
Ian Eugene Ryan	...	Dreadlocked Man (as Ian Ryan)
Scott Wickware	...	Officer Francis
Robert Seeliger	...	Second Officer
Louis Di Bianco	...	Luigi
Derek Aasland	...	Young Man
David Gardner	...	Older Man
Pixie Bigelow	...	Older Woman
Heather Hodgson	...	Woman with Dog

Storyline

In this purely fictional story, Paul McCartney drops by The Dakota to visit John Lennon in 1976. Paul is still on top of the music world, reaching #1 with his new band, Wings. John, however, has retired from public life, choosing to raise his son, Sean. Rumors are rampant that The Beatles are going to reunite to play a concert. Paul, the consummate entertainer, is intrigued by the possibilities. But John, still fighting his inner demons, is content keeping Beatlemania a thing of the past. But even though the two men are still at odds over the band, they rediscover that they still have bonds from the past that will never go away.

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Plot Keywords:

band | concert | reference to walt whitman | pcp | reference to lorne michaels | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

En el apartamento de Lennon

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaronson/Falk Productions, Two of Us Films, VH1 Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

'John Lennon' and Paul McCartney actually did spend 24 April 1976 together as portrayed in the movie, but 'Yoko Ono' and Linda McCartney were also present. It was the last time they met. They got along so well that Paul returned the next day to see John. John would not let him in, saying, as he does in the movie, "You can't just be dropping by like it's the good old days."

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Goofs

The lip-syncing is off while John and Paul are singing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds".

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Quotes

John Lennon: I gaurantee you, when he finally gets the nerve to come over here, it'll be, "My Connie adores you, and my Carla thinks you're fabulous."
Paul McCartney: My Heather likes you.
John Lennon: Her too, yeah.
Paul McCartney: No, I mean *my* Heather. She thinks you're all right. No accounting for taste, but she seems to have a bit of a crush on you.
John Lennon: What, Linda's girl?
Paul McCartney: Hey, she's my Heather too. I legally adopted her a long time ago.
John Lennon: How old is she now?
Paul McCartney: She's thirteen. Can you believe I've got a teenage daughter?

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Connections

References Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)

User Reviews

Surprisingly good

Being the Beatlemaniac that I am, I approached Two Of Us with a combination of fear and fascination. Having seen 'In His Life: The John Lennon Story', I was quite concerned that Two Of Us will turn out no better. The fact that Aidan Quinn and Jared Harris look absolutely nothing like John Lennon and Paul McCartney – even with some make-up and proper hairdos – didn't help one bit.

But I was more than a bit pleasantly surprised. It's probably thanks to the involvement of Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who directed Let It Be in 1970 and consequently probably knew John and Paul quite well, that the characters and the dialogue came across as convincing as they did. (The writing credit for Two Of Us is given to a man named Mark Stanfield, of whom I know absolutely nothing; I feel confident that director Lindsay-Hogg had more than a bit to do with the script.) Two Of Us is not a biography of the Beatles; it has very little plot, in fact, and takes place all in one day in New York City. What it does is imagine a meeting between John and Paul in 1976, while John lived in New York. That meeting is entirely fictitious, of course – though it can't truly be disproved that such a meeting actually took place. But through that imagined conversation it gives us a glimpse into the personalities of these two great musicians – their intelligence, their sense of humor, their different reaction to stardom, and most of all their relationship; what made them such a great team, and what broke them up.

Since it's a talk movie, nothing much except for dialogue between two characters for an hour and a half, it's likely to bore all but true fans of the Beatles; but it's a fantastic piece of writing and storytelling, and is both informative and touching. For those interested in these two musical giants, very quickly you'll get over the shock of how different the actors look from their counterparts and feel like John and Paul had come to life – so intimate and convincing is the script, and so committed are the actors. Two Of Us gives you priceless insight into the lives of two geniuses, and a tale that is both sad and funny. Most certainly recommended.