Director: Julie Taymor
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs
Rating: 4/5
"Is there anybody going to listen to my story," sings a young Liverpool lad in the opening moments of Julie Taymor's Across the Universe. Taymor's musical is a tribute to The Beatles, a film accompanied in every moment by a familiar song by John, Paul, George and Ringo.
The young lad, Jude (Hey Jude), leaves for America to search for his father. At Princeton, he finds his janitor father and meets Max (Maxwell's Silver Hammer), a fun-loving roughish hooligan. Amid With a Little Help from Friends, Max invites Jude over for Thanksgiving dinner and then announces his plans to drop out of college and go live in New York. Here, Jude also meets Max's sister, Lucy (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds).
Jude and Max leave for New York and end up at a hostel set up by the lovely Sadie (Sexy Sadie), a fledging singer patterned after Janis Joplin. We're also introduced to Prudence (Dear Prudence), a lesbian cheerleader, and Jojo (Get Back), a Jimi Hendrix clone, both of whom end up at Sadie's place. Lucy too arrives at the hostel, after losing her boyfriend to the war in Vietnam.
But before the bohemian household get to have any fun, Max gets summoned to draft into the army and he's sent away to Vietnam. Jude finds solace in art while Lucy turns to anti-war activism. Jojo plays for Sadie and the two become lovers, much to Prudence's dismay. The film is primarily the story of Jude and Lucy's love affair, set amid the turbulence of sixties activism.
Across the Universe is a wonderful romp, a fun-filled musical that harkens to the sixties like never before. It is a reflection of everything that the Beatles stood for – love, freedom of expression and great music. It's not a perfect movie, but a celebration, and like all celebrations, things get sloppy. The supporting characters are one-dimensional. Jojo lacks substance, Prudence is almost non-existent and the seductive Sadie is sadly overlooked. Only Jude, Lucy and Max shine. The film is also weak on plot, and feels like it was strung together just to go with the songs. You could even say that it feels like 30 music videos linked by a few minutes of dialogue.
The covers in the movie are surprisingly good. Maybe the actors were chosen more for their vocal ability rather than their acting. Lucy wistfully yearns for Jude in If I Fell, Sadie fiercely belts out Why don't we do it on the Road and Helter Skelter, Max consoles Jude with Hey Jude, Jojo duets with Sadie in Oh Darling and Jude watches Lucy sleep while crooning Something. Except for Prudence's I Wanna Hold Your Hand, which I found unbearable, all other 30-something songs are almost flawless. There is also an amazing choir version of Let it Be.
Certain sequences stand out, just because of their audacity and genius. When Max goes to enlist, an Uncle Sam poster comes to life singing I Want You (She's so Heavy). My favourite sequence is one where Jude goes into a psych trip singing Strawberry Fields Forever. As Jude tries to create something from real strawberries, they turn into bombs for Max in Vietnam.
There are cameos from Bono, singing I Am the Walrus, Joe Cocker performing an amazing Come Together and a sexy Salma Hayek, as five nurses in Max's imagination dancing to Happiness is a Warm Gun.
A possible homage to the band and a decade, the movie has its flaws. It's certainly not a perfect movie but it does shine. This is a nostalgic film, one that celebrates all that The Beatles gave to us. The film reminds us that although The Beatles heyday may have been in the sixties, their music transcends all time and Generation.
