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Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, David Morrissey, Anne-Marie Duff ... see more see more... , David Threlfall , Ophelia Lovibond , Josh Bolt , Sam Bell , Kerrie Hayes , Paul Ritter , Richard Syms , James Johnson , Alex Ambrose , Angelica Jopling , Abby Greenhalgh , Richard Tate , Andrew Buchan , Frazer Bird , James Jack Bentham , Jack McElhone , Daniel Ross , Sam Wilmott , John Collins , Colin Tierney , Christopher Coghill , Ben Smith , Baillie Walsh , Simon Lowe , Nigel Travis , Lizzie Hopley , Dan Armour

The true story of John Lennon's troubled childhood and difficult relationship with his family is brought to the screen in this period drama. Young John (Alex Ambrose) is a bright but sharp-tongued boy... read more read more... living in the coastal town of Liverpool during the 1950s with his aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and uncle George (David Threlfall). John's father walked out on the family when he was four years old, and the boy was given to Mimi to raise, even though his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), was still alive. While Mimi's straight-laced nature runs counter to John's more reckless personality, they clearly love one another and the household is thrown into chaos when George dies suddenly. At the funeral, teenage John (now played by Aaron Johnson) sees Julia, and learns to his surprise that she lives only a few blocks away from Mimi. John pays her a visit, and Julia gratefully welcomes him back into her life. Julia's personality is a much closer fit to John than Mimi, and she encourages his love for writing and music, teaching him to play the banjo. However, John's renewed relationship with Julia brings up a number of unanswered questions, and causes new tensions between Mimi and John. And as rock & roll becomes the hot new sound of the day, John falls in love with the bold new music and makes a friend who is interested in forming a band, Paul (Thomas Brodie Sangster). The first feature film from artist-turned-director Sam Taylor-Wood, Nowhere Boy was the closing night attraction at the 2009 BFI London Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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72% liked it

38,558 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

135 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Sam Taylor Wood

Release Date: October 8, 2010

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DVD Release Date: January 25, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (1,679)

  • danperry17
    April 8, 2012
    danperry17
    Good performance by Aaron Johnson - capturing the Lennon spirit without really looking like him at all - and, (of course), a great one from Kristin Scott Thomas, but otherwise, the film's rather dull. It's almost too thorough, and it comes out more precious and hero-worshipping t... read morehan it does hard-hitting. Lennon's boyhood doesn't seem so tough, frankly, and unlike a lot of great musician biopics, we don't see the life channel into the music; we come to understand more about the man, but not much more about his art. The result? A fairly boring letdown.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    January 31, 2012
    StarCrossedVoyager
    An interesting but unfocused look into John Lennon's teen years which introduced us to the formation of the Beatles (sans Ringo) and gave us an idea of his mentality and were his lyrics came from. I do feel however that it's not the most interesting part of his life which is why ... read moreI haven't rated it so well. It's not as focused as it could have been and tries to cover a lot in such a small amount of time.
  • blkbomb
    November 28, 2011
    blkbomb
    John: Why couldn't God make me Elvis? 
    Julia: 'Cause he was saving you for John Lennon.

    "The Extraordinary Story of John Lennon."

    Nowhere Boy chronicles the teenage years of John Lennon. The movie is a family drama and isn't about Lennon and The Beatles. The movie does show how... read more The Beatles was formed to some degree, but that isn't the intent of the film. I knew the story before hand, so nothing from it came as a surprise, but it was a well made and acted film. 

    After a slow first twenty minutes, the movie really finds its pace and began to be the movie I hoped it would be. Lennon fans should be happy with this, as it does do a good job showing all of the family issues he grew up with and how it made him the guy everyone knows. People who go into this expecting anything more than just a family drama will be extremely disappointed though. If the thought of watching Lennon fight with his aunt, smoke cigarettes and try to get closer to his mom doesn't excite you; you aren't the only one. I would just suggest not watching it. If you are a fan of films that explore family relationships and how they affect the people involved, Nowhere Boy is a great example of one.

    If there's just one reason to watch this movie though, it would be Aaron Johnson. When I initially saw that he was playing I was a little hesitant about it. I loved his performance in KickAss so much, I guess I thought he couldn't do anything more than that. He shows a lot of range with going from KickAss to Nowhere Boy. He goes from geek to the coolest guy alive, and he does it with ease. He looks the part and he definitely struts the part.

    The most important thing you need to know about the film is to not give up on it early on. After the first 15 minutes or so, I didn't think I was going to like it at all. Don't worry, it picks up and does become the movie you expected.
  • paulsandberg
    November 9, 2011
    paulsandberg
    As I watched "Nowhere Boy", the more or less true story of a pre-Beatles John Lennon, I couldn't help but wonder if the story would have been as interesting if the subject had been Joe Nobody.

    Surely the story does have merit; a rebellious 16 year old Liverpudlian who lives ... read morewith his aunt and uncle finds out that his mother has been living in his same neighborhood for the last 10 years. As he reconnects with his mum, it causes uncertainty and tension, especially as he begins to wonder why he's been living with Auntie when his mum lives just down the street. Sounds good, but throw in the fact that it's John Freakin' Lennon, and the story gets some added cred - especially in the scenes where his mum teaches him to play the banjo (hmm, so this is where the talent came from), or introduces him to early rock and roll. Add the scenes where John puts together his first band "The Quarrymen" and the nice little introduction/audition by some snot nosed 15 year old named Paul, and you've got much more to chew on.

    The acting throughout is solid, especially that of Kristen Scott-Thomas as Auntie Mimi, the stern, rigid caregiver who seems so stiff-upper-lip cold, which allows her to emote great significance with little more than a nod or a soothing hand on the shoulder. The scene where "what really happened" is revealed is especially poignant, and Thomas commands the scene as easily as she commanded her household.

    The script does a nice job of inferring things - offering you glimpses that say more than just laying everything out in black and white. The budding relationship between John and Paul is obvious, but you don't get hit over the head with it - which makes for a nice scene where John lashes out in anger at the rest of the band, resorting to fisticuffs, and then Paul looks him square in the eye and asks "what, you want to hit me too?"

    There is plenty of rock and roll on display here, from Eddie Cochran's 20 Flight Rock (Paul's audition song), to vintage footage of a young Elvis and a rather comic scene where John gets a hold of Howling Wolf's "I Put A Spell On You". I rather liked hearing that classic song sounding so clear and pristine, but with some of the other songs, the overly compressed, digitized recordings played false with the period of the film - I almost wished for a scratchy, mono recording instead.

    In all, if you are a Beatles fan, this is an interesting part of the film canon (not quite the excellent Backbeat) - otherwise, there's still enough meat here to enjoy as a look into a time and place (1960 English working towns).
  • itsjustme2004
    October 16, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Fantastic movie! A wonderful biopic about John Lennon as a teen, and how the relationships with his mother, and aunt, impacted his development as a musician. Lots of actual early pics at the end of this movie really made this extra enjoyable. Kudos!
  • SirPant
    October 12, 2011
    SirPant
    Nowhere Boy is an interesting insight into the childhood of John Lennon. It wasn't a story I was aware of, Beetle/Lennon fans probably were but I think there is something for everyone here. You can really see how the two authoritative women in his upbringing influenced him and ma... read morede him the man he was. Both roles played very well by Kristin Scott Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff. It was nice to see the visualisation of John meeting Paul and George too, I have no idea how accurate it is though but I enjoyed it all the same. Seeing my favourite and local cinema, East Finchley's Phoenix, featured was an added bonus (not all filmed in Liverpool then!)
  • deano
    August 14, 2011
    deano
    Poignant and powerful! From the heart lifting opener to the heart wrenching final Nowhere Boy is an absolute joy.
    Before being Kick-Ass, likely Aaron Johnson took on another challenging "superhero" of even scarier proportions - John Lennon. Similar in approach to ... read more>Coco Avant Chanel and My Brother, Bruce Lee, Nowhere Boy presents a respectful yet robust look at a pop culture icon before he became bigger than yellow submarines.
    Based on a contentious memoir written by Lennon's half sister, this portrait of the artist as a teen scouser experimenting with greasy haircuts, unknown futures and rock'n'roll's sexier dimensions feels more lived-in than many other starchy biopics. British artist-turned-director Sam Taylor Wood (real-life Johnson's fiancée) uses period detail for engagement rather than show, and the central thrust of junior Lennon being torn between his free-wheelin' ma (beauty Anne-Marie Duff) and guardian aunt (Kristin Scott Thomas, superb) actually has legs as formative drama, not merely as fodder for a quiz night.
    How accurate it all is plays second fiddle to creative reflection, the balance of Beatles' titbits and boy-man issues feeding well into an over-exposed legend. Surrounded by powerful, gracious women who let their leading man retain centre stage, Johnson's renegade pulse is never faked. Star is born.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    June 27, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    Frankly, i don't give two dogshits for any part of John Lennon's pre-beatle life.
  • shawnewing92
    March 14, 2011
    shawnewing92
    A film about the early days of John Lennon's life before his career takes off. Although there is no Beatles, there is much to learn about the struggles of Lennon's life that to most people are unaware of. The acting is also brilliant and probably the best I have seen from Aaron J... read moreohnson.
  • jjnxn
    March 2, 2011
    jjnxn
    Okay drama of John Lennon's mixed up early life is distinguished by an exemplary turn from Kristin Scott Thomas as his stern but caring Aunt MiMi.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
October 27, 2010
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

If you've seen read or seen the Beatles history in literature or film, you'll adore Nowhere Boy for filling in more blank spaces about the early life that formed one of the seminal figures in rock his... Full Review

Anthony Lane
October 19, 2010
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

Taylor-Wood has specialized in video installations and off-kilter portraits, and it was tempting to hope that her take on Lennon would unsettle and provoke. Instead, she stays resolutely on-kilter, as... Full Review

J. R. Jones
October 15, 2010
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The events chronicled are all longstanding Beatles legends, though director Sam Taylor-Wood manages to stage even the most portentous moments without making you feel a celestial choir is in order. Full Review

Tom Long
October 15, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

More love triangle than musical, the effective and often sweet Nowhere Boy offers a sense of the time and tension that produced John Lennon. Full Review

Stephen Cole
October 15, 2010
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

This portrait of a Beatle as a young man also gives filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood, working on a thoughtful script by Matt Greenhalgh, creative room to manoeuvre, introducing us to John just as he and rock... Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
October 15, 2010
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Although he doesn't look much like Lennon, Johnson captures that essence perfectly; the future icon is here a confused, hurt boy. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
October 15, 2010
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

The movie succumbs to maudlin sentiment and melodrama that Lennon himself might have dismissed with one of his signature cutting remarks. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
October 15, 2010
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Taylor-Wood captures the sounds and textures of Liverpool and Blackpool, where a new beat is playing in the cafes and clubs. Full Review

Chris Vognar
October 15, 2010
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

It relishes its myth-making enterprise without getting too cute about it. Full Review

Claudia Puig
October 14, 2010
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Director Sam Taylor-Wood weaves this tale with elegance, spot-on costumes and production design, and finely tuned casting. Full Review

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    • John: Why couldn't God make me Elvis?
    • Julia: Cause he was saving you for John Lennon!
    • John: There's just no point hating someone you love.
  • As a boy all John Lennon needed was love.
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