Ladies and Gentlemen: the Beatles!

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2011)

If you go into the movie expecting more than a few great musical numbers and some good uncomplicated fun, you will be disappointed. The plot is simple—it is all about the Beatles preparing for an upcoming show. This simplicity, however, allows the audience to truly experience John, Paul, George, and Ringo in all their unrestrained quirkiness. We get to see what the Beatles lives are like in between shows, exaggerated of course. The lack of a full plot actually adds to the comedy, something that not many films do successfully.
Even though the dialogue is scripted and the situations they find themselves in are ridiculous, I feel that there are times in the movie where we are actually getting an inside look at the life of the Beatles. Alun Owen, the screenplay writer, spent some time traveling with the band, and concluded their lives are like "a train and a room and a car and a room and a room and a room," never slowing down and never resting. I think this movie portrays that aspect of the Beatles life quite well; they never seem to be in the same place for more than an instant.
Overall, this movie was a fun time with this wacky band. The acting was done pretty well by the Fab Four, and Paul's weasel of a grandpa was especially fun to watch. The soundtrack was great—it's the Beatles of course. If you go in without any expectations of a fully formed storyline, you should be pleasantly pleased.