Slick ‘Nowhere Boy’ offers little new insight

Director: Sam Taylor Wood

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff

Cert: 15

No stone, if you’ll pardon the pun, has been left unturned in the search for stories about The Beatles, so no surprise then that we have another … the story of the early years of the Fab Four and of the curious relationship between Lennon and his mother and aunt.

Played here in artist Wood’s directorial debut by Duff, Julia abandoned the young Lennon (Johnson) into the care of his Aunt Mimi (Thomas).

The thread of the story is concerned with the influences of the women, with a sub-plot involving Lennon’s meeting with Paul McCartney (Sangster).

It is a good-looking film based on a fine screenplay, performed well by a quality cast and handled with care by Wood, but at its heart there is something missing in that the story, already well-known by fans, seems thin.

Star Rating: 3/5