Pedestrian TV

Nowhere Boy - A John Lennon Biopic  October 29, 2009

I don't know what's weirder. That the kid from Love Actually plays a young Paul McCartney or that I recognized him so quickly. I guess they're both weird in a way, but only one scenario makes me look creepy so I'll concentrate on the former - the casting.

The main problem with films about modern icons is that disparity between the face we have tattooed into our brains and the one presented on screen. Too big a difference and the audience becomes detached and constantly aware of the fact they're watching a film. Ray benefited from a vague similarity between actor and subject, Walk The Line to a lesser extent and 24 Hour Party People not at all. But then again, Annie Leibovitz never shot a naked Tony Wilson for the cover of Rolling Stone.

Written by Matt Greenhalgh (the same scribe behind the Ian Curtis biopic "Control"), "Nowhere Boy" marks the feature film debut of Sam Taylor-Wood, a British conceptual artist, photographer and filmmaker of immense talent. Let's hope the film, which focuses on Lennon's youth and Quarrymen years, is as captivating as Taylor-Wood's photos.