Reminiscent of The Marx Brothers

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2016)

A Hard Day's Night packs a lot of fun into a movie. Some critics say this film is part documentary, to which I saw just because the famous group plays themselves doesn't make A Hard Day's Night a documentary. It is a quirky comedy and a musical that tries to capture the essence of The Beatles, one of the most influential bands in history.
It is enjoyable how many comedic bits this movie is made of. Although it is definitely not the same type of humor throughout the film, some of it seems to pay homage to the Marx brothers. The comedy is all situational or dialogue-based, but none of it seems to be slapstick humor which comes into play only a few times in Marx brothers films. Though you don't find the urge to laugh at it, the first conversation of the film is amusing; Paul McCartney insists the man they sit with on a train is his grandfather, explaining "I'm entitled to two, aren't I" when the other Beatles insist they have seen his grandfather before. It is also amusing when the Beatles never seem to react much to things their managers get into a fuss over.
Although it touches on it only in a few parts, this movie also has great commentary on social class. A few minutes into the film, an older gentleman of the upper class shares the train carriage with the Beatles and he is immediately snobby to fit the conditions to his needs, which means the Beatles can't have the window open or listen to their radio. Then, inexplicably, The Beatles are running beside the train asking for their ball back, a great analogy of the situation.
Obviously the music in the film must be given thought to as well. The music is simply there when it is used and does not really contribute much to the story. However, the energy of the Beatles is captured with the opening credit sequence in which A Hard Day's Night is playing as well as in a scene with Can't Buy me Love when the four Beatles run around a field with a helipad to escape their "imprisonment due to fame" if only for a brief moment. Some of the music is just there, and some of it conveys energy.
The story is definitely not the highlight of the film. It is reflective of the Beatles' life as a band - the reason some may consider it a documentary - but it truly is not a documentary in any sense. It is a fictional story constructed around the idea that the band has an important performance to give. Don't set expectations high for a great story here because it is very straightforward.
A Hard Day's Night still has a good sense of energy and a lot of comedy, making this "Beatles movie" a delight to watch.
3.0/4.0