Search - Lennon Naked on DVD

SV S.
Reviewed on 6/17/2017...

A solid piece of professionally made Beatles fan fiction. Excellent acting from Eccleston - his John feels very true to reality and allows a serious Beatle fan to relax and enjoy the story instead of critiquing his choices. He brings to life John's childlike enthusiasm and spontaneity and sharp-witted snarkiness very well indeed.

The writing, too, explores John realistically, as both gifted and far-sighted artist, misunderstood by the ignorant surrounding him, and as a fallible human being who was capable of serious nastiness and lack of tact. I've always been curious about John's late-in-life relationship with his formerly absent father, and this film explored it in a believable and interesting way.

Funnily, my largest complaint is that Andrew Scott's wig was done wrong: too light a colour and not cut right. Paul McCartney is fussy about his appearance to the point of looking like a mannequin, and I thought this film's Paul was much too scruffy in appearance. Scruffy works for John, but not so much for Paul, who always had every hair in place even when he wanted to seem like he didn't care.

One other complaint is that this story does not venture into how John *actually* met Yoko, which is revealed in Cynthia Lennon's memoir. That's a whole other can of worms, though, and I don't want to wreck this review with negativity. This film centres on the childhood trauma that affected John his entire life, and this is depicted in a sensitive way that will resonate with anyone who has a heart. It's easy enough to see why John and Yoko ended up together, as they both had awful experiences in childhood that wounded them in similar ways.

Worthwhile watch for both Beatles fans and anyone who appreciates a moving (mostly) true story. 3.5 stars.