Nowhere Boy Opens today at the Michigan Theater Review by Jeff Meyers of the Metro Times Grade: B-

The formula for biopics is so rote by now, so predictably charted, that director Sam Taylor-Wood should be complimented simply for keeping her tale of John Lennon's coming of age so tightly focused on his formative teenage years. In fact, never once are "The Beatles" mentioned.

And while Nowhere Boy can be accused of enshrining mommy abandonment issues as the source of its subject's angst, it's surprisingly free of nostalgia or sentimentalism. Nailing both the period setting and Lennon's sarcastic volatility, the movie benefits from a superlative cast, led by Kristin Scott Thomas' complex and understated performance as John's imperious Aunt Mimi and Anne-Marie Duff's sensitive turn as manic-depressive and sexually promiscuous mum, Julia. Unfortunately, despite its well-honed performances and sense of place, Nowhere Boy unapologetically trades in the anger, familial strife and reconciliation clichés of the genre. Worse, this kitchen-sink drama prompts the question: If it weren't about John Lennon, would anyone care?

Read the full review here