A breath of fresh air

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2007)

I'm not so naive as to think that money, production and marketing aren't operative in the presentation of the Beatles, but the wonderful thing about this movie is its simplicity; the enjoyment comes from personalities and a good natured put-on, not an enormous budget or overwrought thrills. The boys are very good at delivering some unusually funny scripted nonsense. Here they're almost restructured as the Marx brothers and the transformation is a pleasure.
This movie is the kind of reminder Hollywood needs every once in a while that CGI, explosions, forced thrills, luscious eye-popping color cinematography and conventional thinking are all markedly less interesting than simple dry wit and honest effort. It's the film equivalent of the White Stripes; stripping a format down to it's essentials and sounding like a revelation.
Only the standard straight boy bugaboo (terror of an effete man - Here, a TV producer) is stale. It's here the movie begins to lose some steam. And Lennon, apparently lacking charm, is a too desperate for laughs and tries too hard.
But even after all these years the movie feels fresh and unforced. You do not have to like the Beatles (I'm indifferent) to really enjoy this movie.
It's a trifle, but it's fricking terrific.