Maxwell Edison’s own silver hammer could not have come down any harder on Across the Universe than did the critics. Director Julie Taymor’s Beatles-scored musical, which expanded to a semi-wide national run this past weekend, was just asking for it. The Village Voice’s Ella Taylor saw the film’s ’60s themes as "smugly condescending to a presumptively know-nothing audience." The Boston Globe’s Ty Burr slammed its "blinding combination of artistic ambition, excess, and plain old bad taste." EW’s Owen Gleiberman called it a "goofy, pompous, annoyingly boomer-myopic Fab Four musical" and "a Hairy cliché fest." Between those kinds of pans, an admittedly horrific trailer, and a soundtrack album that’s fairly nondescript on its own, you may feel like you can safely give this one an all-things-must-pass.
So heed these words, before you write it off like a 1980s Ringo solo album: If you happen to be a Beatlemaniac, or a movie-musicals aficionado — and most especially if, like me, you fall into both camps — you need to get to a theater to see it. This is not to be so contrary as to claim it’s a great movie. It really is aggravating as hell, and I don’t know that there’s anything in the above blurbs that I’d directly contradict. (I recall looking at my watch at about the one-hour point and, upon realizing that the thing wasn’t even half-over yet, letting out an involuntary groan.) But there are individual musical sequences in Taymor’s movie that are at least as magical and transporting as anything I’ve seen on screen in the last couple of years. Most of us make up our minds whether we like a movie or not within the first 15 minutes, and for good reason; a filmmaker who doesn’t know how to start a movie rarely knows how to finish one. But Across the Universe is radically uneven beyond any other uneven movie I can think of. Appreciating what works about it involves abandoning any of your usual all-or-nothing impulses, living in the moment, and being able to separate what sucked 10 minutes ago from what is transcendent right this second.
Taymor really excels at pulling off two distinctly different kindsof musical numbers. The first is a kind of extremely naturalisticsoliloquy. Some of the least showy — but best — sequences in Across the Universefocus on one character, who isn’t so much dramatizing a Beatles song asinternalizing it, in the same way we do when we walk down the streetand truly and completely feel the favorite song that’s goingthrough our heads. One of these comes early on when T.V. Carpio, as ahigh school cheerleader, walks across a very busy football field whilesinging "I Want to Hold Your Hand," not as the frothy tune we know buta slow ballad of excruciatingly unrequited desire. (The fact that theobject of her longing turns out to be a fellow cheerleader is almostimmaterial.) And there are a couple of numbers which leave Evan RachelWood all alone on-camera, singing a familiar song like "If I Fell,"where between the courageously long takes and slowed-down arrangement,we believe that a tune that long ago passed into the realm of baby-boomwallpaper can actually mean something individual to one person, again.(Speaking of falling, I’ll admit that I kind of fell for Wood in thismovie, much to my surprise, after thinking I’d never be able to watchher again without picturing Marilyn Manson on her arm, or on some otherbody part.)
There are other numbers here that deliver in a fairly old-fashionedvein, without being either stark or phantasmagorical—like "Hold MeTight," a long-distance duet set simultaneously at an American sockhopand a Cavern Club-like European tavern, and "It Won’t Be Long," whichhas Wood interacting with her girlfriends a la the "Tell me more, tellme more!" parts of Grease.
I also liked how Taymor went off on the other end of the scale withthe outrightly surreal stuff that predominates later in the movie. (ButI grew up on Ken Russell indulgence-fests like Listzomania and Tommy,so sue me.) If you abhor the very idea of a Vietnam battlesequence-cum-musical number, then by all means, steer clear. But partof the marvel of a sequence like "I Want You (She’s So Heavy)" — anelongated military conscription number that begins with an Uncle Sam "IWant You" poster coming to life — is how, for all its over-the-topimagery, it’s choreographed and shot like an old-fashioned Hollywoodmusical.
I’d be shocked if I learned that Taymor hadn’t studied theclassic films of Stanley Donen, Vicente Minnelli, et al. before makingher own excursion into the genre. Say what you will about the possiblyoverheated conception of these scenes, but she knows where to put thecamera, do a tracking shot, and block choreography. This may sound odd,but I even started fantasizing about what the movie version of Hairspraywould have been like as directed by Taymor. Okay, so there’s not muchevidence she commands an overpowering sense of humor, which could haveposed a problem. But what was most disconcerting about Hairspraywas how over-edited it all seemed, to the point that it was hard to geta consistent sense of the dancing, even though the choreographer (AdamShankman) was also the director. Taymor at least heeds Fred Astaire’sadvice about letting us see some whole bodies on screen, and for morethan a second and a half at a time. And what a pleasure that is towatch.
Except when it’s not. Because Taymor is devoted to putting entiresongs on screen and not chopping them up into medleys, a lot of thesequences overstay their welcome. When lead actor Jim Sturgess launchesinto "With a Little Help from My Friends," it’s exceptionallywell-staged for something that could have been even more static, butyou know exactly what you’re going to get: three and a half minutes ofa guy boisterously singing to his buddies about, um, how glad he is tohave their help. Inventing characters who are basically caricatures ofJanis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix — only, super-nice andnon-self-destructive — to sing material like "Oh Darling" and "WhyDon’t We Do It in the Road" makes for some awfully tiresome passages.And the critics haven’t been wrong in excoriating the many sequencesset to "Let It Be," "Revolution," "Helter Skelter," and the like thatfrequently threaten to turn the picture into "A Child’s Primer on the1960s."
Stephen Holden of the New York Times had an experience of the movie that was closer to mine than most. "Somewhere around its midpoint, Across the Universecaptured my heart," he wrote, "and I realized that falling in love witha movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections,however glaring, become endearing quirks once you’ve tumbled. Thatsurrender is the kind of commitment that Ms. Taymor, a true believer inthe magic of art, asks of an audience." I related, up to a point —except that I kept falling back out of love with Across the Universe.And back in, then back out… kind of like most real relationships. Somereaders might chime in that what I’m describing makes for the perfectDVD rental, where you can just skip through the dross to the good parts— right? Except without the kind of surrender Holden is describing, thesort apt to take place only in a darkened theater with everything elseshut out, I’m not sure whether even the most transformative parts willwork. So my advice to you, brave Beatlemaniacs and movie-musicalmavens, is to get to a theater, be perfectly discriminating about whatworks for you and what doesn’t… and, when you do get to the magical parts — those bits and pieces that remind us how alive to allour senses a great song can make us — turn off your mind, relax, andfloat downstream, even if just for a few minutes at a time.
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Still don’t want to see it.
my wife is a huge beatle fan as well as a musical fan. (comes from years of being a “band gee”)and had been eagerly anticipating this movie coming out when her and her sisters first saw the trailer-last year! now we’ve come to find that it’s not even coming to a theatre remotely near us. her and her sisters were planning a day to go see it together forever. telling her that it was not coming was not a discussion i wanted to have
As in the previous post, I have been waiting for this film for over a year. It is nowhere near my city and I live in a very big city in Florida. It seems that the more screens we get, the less choices we actually have. We just have five screens showing the same lame movie.
i kept finding myself liking it, despite myself. i was totally prepared to HATE it, and i ended up really enjoying myself.
I as prepared to hate this movie but, just like the NY Times critic, fell madly in love… i will never be able to listen to Let It Be in the same way again… had Taymor opted to cut out the Bono and Eddie Izzard numbers the movie would have been perfect.
One critic said that “Dear Prudence” was used to coax a lesbian cheerleader out of a bathrooom. I am probably going to give this movie a shot though. I mean could it be as bad the drugged out trainwreck of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonley Hearts Club Band: the movie?”
I am not a Beatles fan but I enjoyed the movie. Yes, is not for everyone but if you like musicals, a very basic romantic story and pretty visuals, you might enjoy it.
Everyone I know, including myself, adored it. The critics are crazy. (Coming from me, that’s a very big deal.)
I am a huge Beatles fan so I will probably go and see it no matter what.
My experience was the same as Stephen Holden’s. It took me a little while to fall for the movie, but once I did, I was completely in love. It has flaws, and it’s messy, but it’s also completely brilliant.
ebert gave it 4 stars
I am a huge Beatles fan and I remember the sixties. Every review I read says those things will hinder your liking this movie. I think I’ll rent the DVD.
I can appreciate anything that is different than typical movie crap that comes out, so I definitely want to see this! Plus, I never listen to critics!
I am not one for musicals, but I might take a chance on this one on DVD. It never came out here in Tampa, Fflorida. Oh well!
Agreed wholeheartedly – loved parts and hated parts. But you forgot to mention the horrific versions ot “I am the Walrus” by Bono and “For The Benefit of Mr. Kite” by Eddie Izzard. Sure these were the most psychedlically staged and offered wonderful visuals, but the songs them selves caused my ears to bleed. Truly bad.
“An admittedly horrific trailer”?
Are you kidding me? When I saw that trailer, I was stunned and could not wait for the movie, and every single person I showed it to felt exactly the same.
Granted, the movie wasn’t as good as the trailer, but it wasn’t bad. I can definitely understand the griping, but I think it’s worth seeing in theaters.
I’ve seen the movie twice, probably the only one in the country, because i realled enjoyed it. Yeah there are parts that aren’t the best (i could have done without Mr. Kite, i mean seriously why would they pick that horrific song instead of Here Comes the Sun, Lovely Rita, or any of the other 2343 Beatles songs out there) but on the whole Across the Universe was a fun experience. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack non-stop. While the Beatles are “the man” i enjoy listen to Beatles covers more than the actual Beatles (i.e. the I Am Sam soundtrack rules!) If you like Beatles music in any form, you’re going to like this movie! Don’t let the critics make up your mind for you, even though i hope to be one some day…
No, the trailer was atrocious.
I’m seeing it this weekend, and I can’t wait! Critics be damned – I’ve heard from my fellow Beatlemaniacs, and they’ve unanimously praised it.
loved it! the NY times review was very favorable, and captured my feelings about it completely! i think it could become a cult classic
When I saw the trailer I was excited: I like the Beatles, I like musicals, what could possibly go wrong? This movie was a waste of money. I was horrified by the lack of a cohesive story, the flat characters, and Uncle Sam suddenly coming to life. Sure at times it was pretty, but that does not make up for the rest of the movie. Julie Taymor, I want those 2+ hours of my life back.
I saw it this past weekend and found the story to be incredibly disjointed and all over the place, but the music and choreography made up for that and actually make this a pretty good movie. I wouldn’t recommend it to somebody unfamiliar with The Beatles, though. My girlfriend isn’t a Beatles fan and she found the movie over-indulgent and boring.
I just have to add how much I enjoyed this posting. It expressed feelings that I had but couldn’t put into words. I left the movie theater feeling like I had seen the most uneven movie in ages, but yet I still liked it a lot. I continued to think about it for the rest of the weekend and now want to see it again! It somehow hooks you in and makes you like it. I love the comparison that was made to falling in love with someone – sometimes you really do fall in love with a movie, even if you think you never could.
This is the lamest film of the year.
If you love THE BEATLES, listen to the albums, and save your money and time.
Anyone who saw this movie should proceed directly here
http://boxofficekarma.net/
The scene in the ‘Cavern Club-like European tavern’ was actually the Cavern Club in Liverpool- I was there.
Thank you!! All of the critics have been smashing this movie and I completely agree with William. Sure, there are a few dry areas or roll you eye moments, but overall it’s got that something special that captures your heart, a real cult classic. I am buying the soundtrack asap just to relive the magic at my convienence.
This movie confused me at first. But after awhile I started to get it better. Its not just a movie. Its like moving artwork, and the symbolism is just amazing and breathtaking. GO SEE IT!
ok what the helk
the movie was sooooooooooooooo good
and it should have gotten an oscar
but people who say its bad have very bad taste and dont know what is good and what is not
Critics were simply biased against this film and were prepared for the worst. The first time I saw it I thought the story was lacking a little, but then with repeated viewings I fell in love with the movie. The acting by newcomer Jim Sturgess was great in particular, and most of the songs were amazing (with the exception of Mr. Kite). All in all, a beautiful movie that really didn’t deserve all of the negative criticism that it got. Definitely worth a watch.