Nowhere Boy (2009)

A chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life.

Director:

Sam Taylor-Johnson (as Sam Taylor-Wood)

Writer:

Matt Greenhalgh (screenplay)

Stars:

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 6 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson	...	John (as Aaron Johnson)
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Mimi
David Threlfall	...	Uncle George
Josh Bolt	...	Pete
Ophelia Lovibond	...	Marie
Kerrie Hayes	...	Marie's Friend
Angela Walsh	...	Schoolmistress
Paul Ritter	...	Popjoy
Richard Syms	...	Reverend
Anne-Marie Duff	...	Julia
James Johnson	...	Stan
Alex Ambrose	...	Young John
Angelica Jopling	...	Julia - aged 8
Abby Greenhalgh	...	Jackie - aged 6
David Morrissey	...	Bobby

Storyline

The story of John Lennon's childhood and teenage years from 1944 to 1960, his relationship with his aunt Mimi and his mother Julia -the two dominant women in the first part of his life-, his first meeting with Paul McCartney and George Harrison, their friendship, their love for music and the birth of The Beatles.

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Plot Keywords:

paul mccartney character | john lennon character | george harrison character | jukebox musical | knocking on a door | 

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Taglines:

The Extraordinary Untold Story Of John Lennon.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi nombre es John Lennon

Filming Locations:

Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£148,157 (United Kingdom), 27 December 2009, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$52,749, 10 October 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,445,366, 5 December 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ecosse Films, Film4, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where John looks himself in the mirror after he asked Mimi for his birth certificate it can be seen an actual photo of John Lennon as a youngster right on the fireplace.

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Goofs

A Pono ukulele is shown in the music shop, a brand that didn't exist until the 1980s.

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Quotes

John: Why do you know so much?I mean you don't seem like the rock and roll kind of guy
Paul McCartney: What you mean because I don't go around smashing things up and
[gulps]
Paul McCartney: acting like a dick?
John: Yea
Paul McCartney: No.It's the music.That's it,just music.Simple

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Connections

Referenced in Maltin on Movies: Barney's Version (2011)

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Soundtracks

Maggie Mae
Written by Wally Whyton
Published by Tro Essex Music Ltd
Performed by Anne-Marie Duff

User Reviews

The Boy Done Good!

This biopic of John Lennon, taking his story from his schooldays in Liverpool up until the departure of the nascent Beatles for Hamburg, is an exceptional movie, quite the best I have seen during 2009. The story is beautifully handled from beginning to end and the acting from the three main leads is superb. Aaron Johnson manages to portray Lennon's mixture of cockiness (in more ways than one!), aggression, painful vulnerability, bewilderment and sheer adolescent verve with great sureness of touch. We watch Lennon developing from school-kid into knowing young man, and we literally see a different face at the end of the movie to the one we did at the start. Superb playing by Johnson, brilliantly assisted by that of Kristin Scott Thomas as his Aunt Mimi and Anne-Marie Duff as his mother, Julia. It would have been all too easy to lapse into cliché with this story but this is largely avoided. We get glimpses of Liverpool - an opening on the steps of St George's Hall, a fleeting glimpse of Strawberry Fields, a shot of a ferry on the Mersey - but these glimpses are all we need. And the movie closes not with a rendition of an all too predictable 'Nowhere Man' but a beautifully performed 'In Spite of All the Danger'. They say it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock n' roll; in Nowhere Boy we can see where it, and we, all began.