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It’s difficult to imagine that December 8 will mark the 30^th anniversary of John Lennon’s murder outside the New York apartment building where he lived with Yoko Ono. However, neither that tragedy nor the epic success of the Beatles is yet on the horizon in the terrific new Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy.

Just like the wild child Jerry Lee Lewis sings about in “Wild One,” John Lennon (Aaron Johnson of Kick-Ass and The Illusionist) is introduced to us as a rebellious 15-year-old seeking thrills and causing trouble at school. His conduct angers his straight-laced Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas, seen in I’ve Loved You So Long and Gosford Park), who began raising him when he was five, after his father threatened to take him to New Zealand.

John is soon thrown into a tailspin when his beloved uncle dies unexpectedly, but it also gives him the chance to reconnect with his biological mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff, The Last Station), after she appears at the funeral. Although shocked to learn she’s been living a new life just a few blocks away, John’s obsession to have a relationship with Julia leads to an emotional tug-of-war between the two dominant females of his early life.

What proves to be John’s salvation is rock n’ roll. Having been awed by the sight of Elvis Presley on the silver screen, John decides music is his calling and forms a band, The Quarrymen. Not long afterwards, John develops a friendship with new band member Paul (Thomas Sangster, Bright Star, Nanny McPhee), but the story wraps up in 1960, just before they leave for Hamburg, Germany, and their first step towards musical immortality as The Beatles.

Based upon the biography Imagine This: Growing Up with My Brother John Lennon by his half-sister, Julia Baird, Nowhere Boy is an insightful look into Lennon’s formative, adolescent years. It was clearly an emotionally turbulent time for him and had a tremendous impact on what he would express later on through his lyrics as a Beatle and solo artist. His relationship with his mother was tragically cut short—and therefore leaves open the question of whether he would have had the same career had she lived.

Overall, the film’s pacing is consistent and stays on course. Johnson is uninspired at first, yet he blossoms by the end with a wonderful, mature performance. The true standout is the ageless Thomas, who masks her character’s true emotions while at the same time showing just enough cracks for us to realize that Aunt Mimi did indeed care deeply about her nephew.

Beatles fan or not, any cinemagoer should enjoy this film.

On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing, Nowhere Boy receives an A-.

Nowhere Boy is rated R and has a running time of 98 minutes.

Now showing through November 11 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for more information.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

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