Movies starring and revolving around the lives of musicians tend to get a bad rap, perhaps because that library of films includes: Spice World, Can't Stop the Music, Glitter, Cool As Ice and the more recent Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers films. Amidst all that competition, A Hard Day's Night rises above as a thoroughly enjoyable film starring the Fab Four. As a Beatles fan the film is virtually impossible to dislike when it's little more than a vehicle for the Beatles to fool around and play a few songs.The film contains something resembling a plot, but it serves no other purpose than to place the Beatles in new settings where they can act zany and fire off a number of clever quips. The Beatles are traveling to a television studio to perform a live concert, and along the way they run from many a screaming fan, joke around, get into trouble and perform a few songs every now and again. Along on the ride with John, Paul, George, and Ringo are Paul's grandfather and the troupe's two managers, who fruitlessly attempt to keep the quartet and Paul's grandfather in containment.
Even while being obedient and participating in interviews, the boys can't help but mock the questions with dry wit and deadpan humor-- when asked "what you would call that hairstyle you're wearing", George responds with "Arthur". Embedded with influence from the Marx Brothers, the film seeks to never take itself seriously and instead mocks those in the film who take themselves seriously. The Beatles have always been about individualism and the film exemplifies that quality perfectly; rather than stay locked up in a dressing room, the boys escape to run amok in a open field, like school children. The bandmates play exaggerated versions of themselves (or what was marketed as themselves), with Paul as the pretty ladies-man, John as the sardonic and witty one, George as the quiet one and Ringo as the butt of everyone's jokes.
The Beatles' evocation of a spirit of individuality was ironic considering the clone-like appearance of the band, and the many lies about the band members maintained to keep with their public persona's. John was married and had a child at the time of the film's release and the boys were all from lower-class families, yet they dressed and acted as middle-class chaps-- their lighthearted, whimsical nature, polite manners and clever wit were all traits attributed to Britain's middle-class youth.
I'd be remiss if I didn't at least briefly mention the music that plays a rather large role in the film; It's quite good. I suppose I should be a little more specific-- coming from the earlier part of their career, the music in the film is comprised of catchy pop tunes like Can't Buy Me Love, Tell Me Why, She Loves You and I Should Have Known Better. Regardless of which Beatles era you prefer, any fan of the band is sure to have a smile on their face for the entirety of the film. A Hard Day's Night is from a bygone era where pop bands could be appreciated by people over the age of twelve, the band members (while marketed similarly today) had at least one iota of talent and unlike any other music film, it's wholly enjoyable.
5/5
