With the 30th anniversary of John Lennon`s death arriving on Dec. 8th, we`ve been hit with a barrage of Beatles/Lennon-related events, including the American Masters documentary and the re-release of Lennon`s entire solo catalog. As I`ve long been obsessed with the Beatles as well as comics and science fiction, I consider these noteworthy. On a lighter note, however, I will always love a film which depicts the Beatles phenomenon from a fan`s perspective: Robert Zemeckis` I Wanna Hold Your Hand{1978}.
It has aged remarkably well, probably in large part because it re-creates the whole look of the early sixties in amazing detail. Clothes, hairstyles, and cars seem to have leaped bodily out of the pages of Life magazine, or my parents` old photos. The plot concerns a group of New Jersey teens who want to travel to New York City to see the Beatles` first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. They have different reasons: Grace wants to jump-start her journalism career by getting exclusive photos of the band, Rosie is a die-hard fan who can`t get enough of them, Pam wants a girls` night out before her upcoming wedding, and wise-guy Tony likes their folkie buddy Janis.
With a few other friends in tow, the kids drive to the Big Apple and have a bewildering series of adventures en route to the show. Among other escapades, Janis tries to stage an anti-Beatles protest and Pam makes it into the Fab Four`s hotel room, converting to true fandom after the experience. But for me, the antics of Rosie, played by the late, lovely and funny Wendie Jo Sperber, make the movie. I always identified with her. She gets grief from people because of her plus size figure and love for the Beatles, I got grief because I preferred animated films to football and binge drinking. Rosie not only evantually makes it to the show, she meets the hyper but loveable Richard {Eddie Deezen}, an excitable bespectacled guy whose devotion to the Beatles rivals hers. He wows her with his most prized possession, a hunk of ground that Paul McCartney actually walked on! They have a slight misunderstanding when she refers to him as her boyfriend-Richard insists that a true McCartney fan would love no one but Paul. But they make up after being stuck in an elevator together and have a great time seeing the Beatles, though poor Rosie passes out from excitement.
In conclusion, I`d nominate this as one of the best teen movies ever, since the characters grow and change during a formative experience. You don`t have to be a Beatles devotee to enjoy it, since much of the film is about really loving something and doing whatever to get close to what you`re obsessed with. Being a music nerd has never been so much fun as it is in this funny, touching film.
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