nowhere boy

30/30

Let us ignore the somewhat questionable relationship between the 40+ Director and the 19 year old star in this film. It has actually made me think about the irrelevance of such details; aside from rare dictation of who gets what role in the film, how can we consider gossip and scandal as a deciding factor in our judgement of films? Conversing witha good friend the other day, I was asked, somewhat to my surprise 'How can you watch Platoon when you know what Charlie Sheen has done?' My response to this was, obviously, it's a good film, it doesn't matter who is in it or what they have done. Some musicians have questionable personalities and 'habits', can we let this get in the way of our appreciation of their work? Lord Byron was a known arse, yet his poetry is some of the best I have ever read.
Ranting aside, it is safe to say my external opinions of some people involved in the making of this gem did not obscure my appreciation of this film, and nor do they or should they matter to you. The acting is incredible, expected from Scott Thomas and Duff, and something of a pleasant surprise from the younger stars in this film, who have come a long way from Love Actually and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging... The shooting was also beautiful, perfectly nostalgic and reflective of the 50's and early 60's, and the easy relation s between Observer and actor make empathy for the young John Lennon unavoidable, even when he is not acting in a way that calls for sympathy in any way. Go and see this, go and enjoy this, then tell me what you thought!

24:07:2010