After watching this low-fidelity TV movie last night, I feel like I should share my opinions as it has easily made it into some of my favourite films, including Perks of Being a Wallflower, Girl, Interrupted and Shallow Grave. I will go into my opinions, what I thought of certain scenes, the inaccuracies, and overall what I thought of the whole film.
As it came out almost 40 years ago, some inaccuracies are only inaccurate because of what we know now (or what we think we know). I may still comment on them though, as they are pertinent to my opinion of the film.
Firstly, I’d like to talk about the cast. I think they did an okay job choosing who played the roles the story revolved around. Of course, I agree with others who have stated that Mark McGann’s version of John’s Scouse voice, (even though he hails from Liverpool) was less than satisfactory. This was a large problem with the acting in this movie; however, I think he tried his best to portray the musical God that John Lennon was to so many, myself included. I also appreciated Kim Miyori’s portrayal of Yoko. Picking a conventionally attractive girl manages to give the audience some sympathy for her, which we do need for certain scenes (which says more about society than it does about the film). Miyori also impresses by playing Yoko as a caring mother to both Sean and Kyoko, and also Julian somewhat.
I am glad that Phil Spector was portrayed as an off-putting creep; as that is accurate. In fact, he was even WORSE than that But that’s a completely different story. Of course, this film does have some inaccuracies. Such as the now well-known story of him firing the gun in the studio, and the tale of how Sean found out about The Beatles.
Despite some flaws, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I loved the inclusion of
Spector tying John up and leaving him to have a mental breakdown, causing John to smash everything in the house as he screamed out for Yoko during his famous “Lost Weekend.” However, one critique I have is that the music playing during this scene is jaunty and high tempo. It suggested John’s breakdown was something that should be laughed at.
What also interested me was the car crash scene. This is something I didn’t learn any more about until watching this movie. I found it harrowing how we see John, Yoko, Kyoko, and Julian singing together, a happy family, just driving and singing. Then, the film wrenches your heart out as you watch the car swerve and crash into a fence, the children still inside. I think the line Yoko says after this scene describes perfectly the pain of such a trauma:
“Everything was so good and now it’s gone”.
There is the one scene that I think everyone would love, whether they see the film or just this clip. The scene opens with John smoking a ciggy in a hospital (despite the warning signs) whilst Yoko is going through childbirth. As the scene develops, the doctor enters and informs John the birth was a success. He screams “We did it…. A BOY!” and kicks a small bin, before once again screaming out; YES!” What’s surprising is that the scene is pretty much true.
Now, there is one more part I would also touch on, the miscarriage scene...
…..My God.
I did not expect this part to make me feel the way it did. The silence throughout it all, how the Doctor delivers the news, how you hear the dead baby’s recorded heartbeat slowly fade out, and Yoko’s realistic and somewhat child-like sobs... Whether you love or hate Yoko, it’s hard not to feel at least some sympathy for her. No person should have to go through that. The physical and emotional trauma of a miscarriage is dreadful to think about. What’s even worse is that it happened three times.
One grumble I saw, was that it painted Yoko as a “Good person.” Now, will we ever find out if the way she was shown in this movie was her true self? Probably not. When it’s something to do with Lennon, we most likely will never know the full story. But when you have a sad story such as this, I find it’s helpful to pretend that the suffering didn’t happen.
As a person who loves older bands, I’ve had my fair share of depressing stories such as addiction, death, and band members having terrible mental health issues (e.g.: Syd Barrett Courtney Love, etc.) so I find it much easier to cope by pretending everything bad never existed. This film certainly helps with that.
Overall, I would certainly suggest this film if you enjoy John and/or Yoko. Of course, you have to prepare for what happens at the end of the movie, but we have to get ready for that every time December comes around don’t we?
If you wish to, you can watch the film here.