Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Kirpianuscus maybe, this is its basic good point. to give a story - mix of humor, sadness, drama of a young man looking for the right form of family, discovering music as answer. the second virtue - the atmosphere. that does it a film about more than John Lennon but about a time, the birth of a new era and the furies, fun and self definition of a teenager. but, maybe, more important, the performances of Kristin Scott Thomas and Thomas Brodie Sangster are the best ingredients of a story who has an only sin - the less courage to propose more than a familiar drama but a sensitive portrait of a young Lennon. a slice of life. this is the best definition of it. not remarkable . but nice.

zif ofoz Watching this story unfold is like pulling teeth! Slow and painful, even when it's all over.Nicely costumed and wonderful sets, but the acting just goes over-the-top in scene after scene. Maybe the director should have handed out prozac before filming. How much crying did these actors have pull out of themselves? And the real mother was just comical throughout. Even the set-up of the two sisters becoming friends again was such a cliché - then bam - bye bye sister. Did that come as a surprise to anyone??I do not know any facts about John Lennon's early life but I doubt it paralleled this tempest in a teapot story! Other reviewers seem to find great meaning and purpose in this flick but I was bored to death.

Amy Adler John Lennon (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has just listened to his school headmaster put him down as going nowhere. The young teen responds that there probably is "nowhere" for a genius like him. Good comeback, John! In truth, young Lennon does have his problems, at school and at home. He has lived with his stern Aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott-Thomas) for as long as he can remember but he doesn't know why he doesn't live with his mother, Julia (Anne Marie Duff) or his father. One day, at an uncle's funeral, he DOES learn that his mother is in London, for she comes quietly to the service. What a revelation for John! Rushing over to her house as soon as he gets a chance, he finds Julia is now married to another gentleman, not John's father, and has several young daughters. Very pretty and full of life, Julia teaches John how to play the banjo and insists he listen to some of her recordings. This leads to John learning to play the guitar, too, forming a rock n roll band, and having more visits with Julia. But, Mimi is not pleased and she finally tells John why. Now, the teen is more confused than ever. What is true familial love, the ones who responsibly care for their children or those who ignite their imaginations? This wonderful film of John Lennon's teen years, before the fame and fortune, is remarkable. Like so many of us, John's early life was less than ideal but, nevertheless, shaped his future destiny in many ways. The cast, including the three principals, is quite fine as is the recreation of the late fifties in Britain, through costume, sets, and direction. If you consider Lennon to be the most compelling of the Beatles, as I do, you most certainly should not skip this one. Try the library, that's where I got this gem!

s t I really enjoyed this film which I watched at the "Woolton" in south Liverpool which is a small independent cinema located in the heart of the area featured in the film of John Lennon's adolescence.I thought the film convincingly conjured up the period which I lived through myself. I also bought into the tension between the characters in certain scenes.Best of all was the casting of Aaron Johnson as Lennon. He gives a truly brilliant portrayal of the complex man, disturbing in some places, laugh out loud funny in others.This is proper film making with a clear narrative and character development in situations that should lead you through a range of emotions by the time it ends.