Nowhere Boy

2009

97 mins

The story of John Lennon’s childhood takes us back to when John was a curious and sharp teenager growing up... More

The story of John Lennon’s childhood takes us back to when John was a curious and sharp teenager growing up in '50s Liverpool. At age four, John had been sent to live with his formidable, straight-laced Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. After the tragedy of George's death, John is reintroduced to his mum, Julia. Her spirited personality is a close fit with his and she encourages his love of music and writing. As the two sisters tussle for his love, John escapes into the art and the music flooding in from the US – namely, rock and roll. His enthusiasm for the music finds a kindred spirit in a young chappy, handy with a bass, named Paul.

This is the debut feature of artist-turned-director Sam Taylor-Wood and based on the memoir by Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird.

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Where to watch Nowhere Boy

Nowhere Boy is available to stream in the United Kingdom... More now on Disney+ and Apple TV Store and Google TV and YouTube and Microsoft.

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Nowhere Boy | Ratings & Reviews

81_%146 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
74_%41,299 reviews
Audience score rating
15+Age suitability
Children & Media rating

"A respectable but surprisingly conventional feature-debut effort from Brit artist-turned-helmer Sam Taylor-Wood, "Nowhere Boy" offers a portrait of pop star John Lennon as an angry, '50s-era young man, just before he became a working-class hero."

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Variety

"The Beatles may have had a recent resurgence - but very little's ever really been committed to screen about the adolescent years of one of those behind the legacy."

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TVNZ

"No surprises in this account of the troubled pre-Beatles adolescence of John Lennon, but sharp scripting and a pair of outstanding performances lift it out of routine biopic territory."

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Total Film

"Artists-turned-film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood's biopic of the young John Lennon is warm, involving and very human"

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The Times

"This tale of a young John Lennon, torn between his legendary mother and equally formidable aunt, is an accomplished feature debut from Sam Taylor-Wood"

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The Guardian

"Earnest but dull portrait of the woman who mothered John Lennon lacks his spark of originality."

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Hollywood Reporter

"Anchored by a strong central turn, Nowhere Boy crafts entertaining, small-scale drama out of Lennon’s huge-sized legend. It just lacks the spark and ambition of its subject."

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Empire Magazine

"Biography as it should be done: With a minimum of mythologising, but plenty of acknowledgment of the heroism of ordinary people who are attempting extraordinary things."

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