tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

tMF has been keeping an eye on Aaron Johnson from the time we watched him in The Illusionist. He went on to grab a leading role in Kick-Ass, even after Matthew Vaughn, the director announced that he's not going to cast a British for the part. Apparently, Johnson made quite an impression.

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At 19 years old, the ambitious, fearless and definitely independent-minded Johnson has just been nominated for Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards for his role as the young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy. The film also received another 5 nominations, including Best British Independent Film. Is this Johnson's chance to move up his acting career even higher?

Critics seem to like the young actor, and early reviews of the film were very positive. More of Johnson, the trailer for Nowhere Boy and more insights after the jump!
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About the Movie: John Lennon (played by Aaron Johnson) is an ordinary 15 year old boy on the streets of Liverpool. Funny, smart, naughty, a real edge to him. But life is not simple for John - he grew up in a family of secrets and was raised by his Aunt Mimi from the age of five. When he is suddenly reacquainted with his mother, Julia, they form an unbreakable bond. A bitter war rages between the two sisters for John's love. Faced with bringing it to an end, he learns the secret heartbreak of his past. But his mother gives him one great gift - music. A wayward boy finds his voice, and walks into The Beatles. [ read tMF's comprehensive film focus article on Nowhere Boy here ]

Watch the trailer below:

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Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian has this to say about Johnson's performance:

It's a handsomely made film, with a very game lead performance from Aaron Johnson, hampered perhaps only by the fact that Lennon is really a rather callow figure at this stage; unlike, say, the more interesting, more grownup Lennon that Ian Hart played in Iain Softley's 1994 film Backbeat. When John shows Julia an EP record of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, she asks where he got it, and John says he swapped it with a bloke at the docks. "Swapped it for what?" Julia asks sharply, and John has no idea what she's implying. Throughout the movie, I had the sense that Lennon was really a supporting turn and the stars were Julia and Mimi, but that, frustratingly, we were only ever allowed to see them from John's lairy and semi-comprehending point of view. John has to be the focus, and part of the movie's point is his youth, his poignant inability to appreciate how much these women love him. [ read more ]

Screen Daily's Fionnuala Flannagan has nothing but praise for Johnson:

It's a handsomely made film, with a very game lead performance from Johnson, hampered perhaps only by the fact that Lennon is really a rather callow figure at this stage; unlike, say, the more interesting, more grownup Lennon that Ian Hart played in Iain Softley's 1994 film Backbeat. When John shows Julia an EP record of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, she asks where he got it, and John says he swapped it with a bloke at the docks. "Swapped it for what?" Julia asks sharply, and John has no idea what she's implying. Throughout the movie, I had the sense that Lennon was really a supporting turn and the stars were Julia and Mimi, but that, frustratingly, we were only ever allowed to see them from John's lairy and semi-comprehending point of view. John has to be the focus, and part of the movie's point is his youth, his poignant inability to appreciate how much these women love him. [ read more ]

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What's on your mind? Have you seen Nowhere Boy already? What are some of your impressions after watching the trailer? What do you think of Aaron Johnson as an actor? Let us know what you think!
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