John Lennon fans will find a lot of reasons to nitpick Nowhere Boy. Similar to other biographies, like The Runaways or The Social Network, Nowhere Boy plays things loose with Lennon's life story. All of the important details are there, but some are given more weight than others and the order isn't always exactly as it happened. But, like the other films, the need for pinpoint accuracy isn't needed. Nowhere Boy weaves a great story that only gets better because of where it goes next - only you'll never see it.
Considering Nowhere Boy takes the before-he-was-famous route, it's impressive how well the story manages to build in tension. It's sort of like watching the Star Wars prequels already knowing Anakin is going to end up with a massive breathing problem. Once you know the destination, the journey isn't as interesting. Nowhere Boy manages to find an different route. Yes, it's a story about when two boys named John and Paul decided to start a band, but the real story is about a boy stuck in a tension-filled relationship between two sisters. It just so happens that boy is John Lennon.
Nowhere Boy is based on the memoirs of Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird, and begins with a teenage John Lennon (Aaron Johnson) dreaming of starting a rock band. Lennon lives with his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and shares a strained relationship with his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff). The sisters' strained relationship, and its impact on John, comes to a head when John discovers his mom lives nearby.
Despite the aunt's wishes, John attempts to form a relationship with his estranged mother. Somewhere between his struggle, John meets Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster) and, along with three other boys, the first incarnation of The Beatles is born.
Nowhere Boy works because it doesn't over-do anything. There are a few, let's just say awkward Oedipal flourishes in John's relationship with Julia (all completely innocent). Nowhere Boy never feels the need to take John's story to extremes. It could be the story of a kid named Ralph who wants to be a mime and the story would still work. The fact that it's John Lennon is gravy (and a better selling point).
I also appreciate the lengths taken to not vilify either of the two women. It would have been easy to paint either in a negative light, but it never happens. There's a chance viewers might decide to cast one as the bad guy, though the film never leads viewers towards a particular conclusion.
As far as the Blu-ray release is concerned, Nowhere Boy isn't exactly a must-own in HD. Technically, the film's grammar is simple. There are a few daring edits (hence the previously mentioned "Oedipal flourishes"), though the film really just lets the actors play and carry the story along.
Oddly enough, the US release isn't as feature-packed as the UK version. The short "Making of..." presents a short EPK-like feature made up of footage and cast/ crew interviews. The only other features to make the trip to the US are a collection of deleted scenes and "The Untold Story," which is interesting but doesn't make up for the lack of Director's commentary, scene breakdowns and other extras found in the UK version.
Even if the idea of a movie about The Beatles not featuring The Beatles doesn't sound appealing, Nowhere Boy is still incredibly interesting and comes highly recommended.
