Product Details

• Actors: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas
• Directors: Sam Taylor Wood
• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony/The Weinstein Company
• DVD Release Date: January 25, 2011
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0036TGT5W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,721 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Nowhere Boy [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On 1970's "Mother," John Lennon sang, "You had me, but I never had you." Fine artist-turned-filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood delves into the story behind those words, starting with a 15-year-old Lennon (Kick-Ass's Aaron Johnson, a star in the making), who lives in Liverpool with his impish uncle George (David Threlfall) and imperious aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas, all pin curls and British reserve). George's death spurs Lennon to seek out Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), his birth mother, who turns out to be surprisingly fun and flirtatious (their scenes together carry a subtle sexual tension). The mother of two daughters, Julia welcomes the opportunity to reconnect with her son, even if her common-law husband (David Morrissey, Duff's Is Anybody There? costar) doesn't share her enthusiasm. She introduces John to rock and roll and teaches him how to play the banjo--useful information when he switches to the guitar--but she also suffers from mood swings and can't always meet his emotional needs. Torn between the mother who raised him and the one who gave him life, John funnels his frustrations into music, forming the Quarrymen, but then he meets Paul McCartney (Bright Star's Thomas Sangster) and revamps the lineup to work in George Harrison and his art school colleague Stu Sutcliffe (whose biography formed the basis for Backbeat). As Lennon aficionados know, John's relationship with Julia didn't come to a happy end, but she would have a profound effect on his life--and provide the inspiration for this tenderhearted tribute. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

Imagine...John Lennon's childhood. Liverpool, 1955: a smart and troubled fifteen-year-old is hungry for experience. In a family full of secrets, two incredible women clash over John (Aaron Johnson): Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), the buttoned-up aunt who raised him, and Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), the prodigal mother. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into the new and exciting world of rock 'n' roll where his fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the teenage Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster). Just as John begins his new life, tragedy strikes. But a resilient young man finds his voice - and an icon explodes into the world.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelously moving depiction of young John Lennon with Oscar-worthy performances October 31, 2010

By Whitt Patrick Pond TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

Sam Taylor-Wood's Nowhere Boy is a marvelously moving depiction of the early life of John Lennon, covering the period from when he is about fifteen and first becoming interested in music to when he is nineteen, when he and his band, The Quarrymen, are about to leave for a gig in Hamburg that would see them emerge as the band known all over the world as the Beatles.

Everything about this film works. Not only because of a great cast of actors, but in the way that it captures the look and feel not only of Liverpool in the late 50's and early 60's, but also of the transitioning music scene of the period, dominated in the beginning by American jazz and rock & roll but soon to be overturned by what would be called (on our side of the pond anyway) as the British Invasion. One of the many remarkable achievements that Taylor-Wood manages to pull off in the film is the subtle way in which she shows Lennon starting with influences like Buddy Holly and Elvis but then slowly moving to create his own sound, particularly after he connects with an even younger Paul McCartney.

The performances of the entire cast are worthy of praise, but two I feel deserve special attention: Aaron Johnson as John Lennon, and Kristin Scott Thomas as his Aunt Mimi. Johnson was best known for his perfomance as the title character in the cult super-hero film Kick-Ass, but his immersion in Lennon's character in Nowhere Boy was so thorough that he was almost unrecognizable. Scott Thomas, a veteran actress of many films of note, including The English Patient, Four Weddings And A Funeral, and The Other Boleyn Girl, was more recognizable, but all the more remarkable for bringing off the very complex character of Lennon's Aunt Mimi, the woman who raised him from the age of five. To bring out Mimi, Scott Thomas has to portray a woman who is tough as nails, making the hard decisions in life while keeping her inner feelings to herself, but who does in fact have feelings that every now and then must come out for the people she does in fact care deeply about. It is a highly challenging role and Scott Thomas pulls it off magnificently. Both performances are Oscar-worthy and I sincerely hope that the Academy will give them the recognition they so richly deserve.

I highly recommend this film for anyone with an interest in John Lennon, the Beatles, the music of this highly important period, or simply in the lives of musicians and how they become the people the world comes to know. Or for anyone who just loves an extraordinarily well-crafted movie with stellar performances and a truly moving story.

51 of 59 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars How it all began March 14, 2010

By melina zora

Format:DVD

I have asked Amazon to delete this review from the page of the film "Which Way Home" but they have done nothing about it so far, so please ignore it if you are on that page. This review is about another film, the early years of John Lennon.

"Nowhere boy" is a quaint film about the early years of John Lennon, in post war Liverpool where he lived until the age of eighteen with his aunt Mimi, a strict and austere woman, the epitome of British propriety, who loved John but whose uptight personality prevented her from expressing this with tenderness or words of love. The role of aunt Mimi is portrayed exceedingly well by Kristin Scott Thomas. Aaron Johnson is an impetuous, impulsive young Lennon whom we are introduced to as he is speeding past the streets of Liverpool, teasing the girls and taunting the boys. He is excellent as the conflicted young man, living in an environment which he finds stifling, not giving him room and scope to express his potential.

John lives with his aunt as his father left when he was five and he is unaware of the whereabouts of his mother. His aunt is disapproving of his rebellious and audacious character, being particularly exacerbated by his poor performance at school and the disrespect he shows towards his teachers. She has also kept secret from him that her sister, John's mother, lives only a mile away from his house. A friend takes him to his mother's where John is reacquainted with the woman he has not seen since the age of five. Julia, played by Ann Marie Duff, is a complete contrast to his reserved aunt Mimi. She is emotional and totally unreserved, expressive in her love and devotion, flighty and erratic in her character. She introduces John to Rock and Roll music, explaining that it expresses uninhibited sexuality. In fact, her own attitude towards her teenage son is more that of a lover, with many sexual connotations and Freudian interpretations.

With his mother's encouragement, who takes John to cafes and dances rock to the jukebox sounds, John asks his aunt to buy him a guitar as he wants to start his own rock band. Mimi reluctantly gives in to his demands, though she remains unaware of John's relationship with his mother. Julia will instruct John how to play and sing, how to dance and what the latest hits are. Julia's husband does not approve of John's frequent visits which seem to affect his wife's taciturn moods. She is prone to depression, so John's volatile personality may wear thin her already fragile state.

Aaron Johnson is wonderful in playing the impudent, mischievous, explosive character of a tempermental young Lennon but I believe that the two women are brilliant so they tend to slightly overshadow his performance. The two sisters are a complete contrast, Thomas is superb as the stiff, unbending but deeply caring aunt, whereas Duff is an eccentric, vulnerable type who goes through phases of isolation and outbursts of exuberance. John feels torn in his love and loyalty between the two women who compete for his affection. He feels lost, confused and betrayed, as he has been deprived of his father and for years of the affection of his mother. He suffers as he must decide where his loyalties lie, his aunt suggesting she deserves more for her devotion and years of dedication. His behaviour becomes more and more delinquent, his consolation being the group he has started. At seventeen he meets Paul McCartney and soon they become close friends, writing and performing their own music.

Sam Taylor Wood gives a great portrayal of the somewhat oppressive atmosphere in post war England, with the omnipresent scarcity of money and availability of products, of the need to painstakingly save penny for penny to buy even the cheapest of guitars. What is not particularly memorable to me is the music, which I expected to play a more predominant role, though I was left with the impression that it was pleasant enough. The film ends when John goes to Germany to give some performances there, making the rest history. I was left with a bittersweet feeling at the end of the film, knowing that what followed was legendary fame and a tragically early death.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent biopic January 18, 2011

By Robert G. Splaine Jr.

Format:DVD

The story of young John Lennon as a teenager in England. He has been raised by his Aunt and Uncle, and has a strained relationship with his mother. John learns the circumstances of his absentee father's departure during his youth, and has trouble dealing with it. After seeing the adulation that Elvis Presley receives from girls, he forms a local band. Shortly thereafter, he meets a young musician named Paul and.....well, you know where that leads. The lead performance by Aaron Johnson is outstanding. An emotionally gripping look at the growth of John Lennon that has an especially poignant closing which shows still photos of John as he grew into a man.