With the upcoming
biopic about John Lennon coming to theaters in the next couple of months, I
thought that it might be a great time to look at some of the positives and
problems that I see with making a biopic about John Lennon. First off, it is
about John Lennon—this is the guy that has a cemented reputation as a demigod
of rock, social activism and has personally shaped the last couple of generations
living today. This instantly means that many people will want to see this
picture and most will be very critical of how the actor plays John Lennon and
is portrayed. Will they show a Lennon that is thoughtful and artful, or a young
Lennon that would need a DUI
Lawyer just for stepping out of his house. This question will
linger until the movie comes out, but from the trailer it appears that they are
trying for the middle ground, which will either be Oscar bait or send this film
into cult status.
That was a few concerns that I had with the trailer, some of
the things that I liked about the preview was showing the forming of the
Quarrymen. No I’m not talking about quarries or the like that produce travertine tiles,
I’m talking about the school that John, George and Paul attended in their youth
and the first band that they formed together. It was fun to see the preview
showing the beginning interactions of these three musicians. Hopefully, the
movie will be more about these interactions and how the events in John Lennon’s
life created who he was, than a movie that tries to show Lennon as a hero or
legendary figure. We do not need another movie like that—give us the real
Lennon!
