Greetings,
Hey, did you ever wonder what went on in an infamous meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1976? Well, wonder no longer, because VH1 already told us with their television movie Two of Us.
Back around 2000, VH1 started delving into the world of television movies with a fair amount of success. One of these films was about a meeting that took place in New York between Lennon and McCartney on April 24th, 1976. Now if you are a Pop Culture Fact Geek, like myself, you'll know that as the same day that Lorne Michaels made the infamous and amusingly low offer of $3000 for the Beatles to reunite. This, of course, was on the heels of them being offered hundreds of millions of dollars to do so. That's why it's funny. Oh, wait, this was also back when SNL was just funny without anyone having to tell us why. Moving on. Anyway, as far as plot goes, that is basically it. Paul shows up at John's apartment, and they spend the day together. Doesn't seem like much, right? Well, sometimes less is more, as we all know, and in this case, it was much more.
Two Of Us stars Jared Harris and Aidan Quinn as John and Paul, respectively, and they are pretty much the only people in this thing. No lie, we are with just these two guys for a good 95% of the movie, whether it be in the apartment, in Central Park, in a cafe, we are with John and Paul for the whole day. Because of this, it does almost feel like a stage play at times, particularly the scenes at the Dakota. And it works well, because Jared and Aidan work so well together. I guess I should talk about their performances now.
When I first heard about this movie, I was a bit concerned, like any Beatles fan might be. As much as I love Jared and Aidan, anytime an actor has to play a real person, there is the danger of the performance becoming an impersonation. In my opinion, that did not happen here. These two actors truly embraced the essence of John and Paul, as best as I've ever seen anyone do it. I know there haven't been a ton of people to portray Lennon and McCartney, but these are easily the best. Both actors shine in their own way. Like I would say that Jared was better at capturing John's physical mannerisms, the way he moved and walked and even stood, whilst Aidan pretty much nailed Paul's voice. And they managed to portray how John and Paul were perceived on a personality level, though, a ton of that credit should go to the writer, Mark Stanfield. Still, we see John being his snarky self and Paul rolling his eyes at the behavior, but always with a smile on his face. We get to see two friends, who have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, spending the day together, no more, no less, really. So, put this all together, and you get something really fantastic. Oh, and speaking of "highs", yes, they smoke pot together in this thing. Shock.
Now, as you may have guessed, there is a lot of talking in this movie, and you may be wondering of what it consists. Well, frankly, the script is full of what every fan would assume a discussion between Lennon and McCartney in 1976 would have. Talk about the group, their breakup, their families, arguments, inside jokes, and even a little singing. I'm not going to presume that what is said in this film is exactly what was said between these two guys in reality, and neither did VH1, but I can't help but think that some of this stuff was discussed at some point or another. Regardless, it was all done very respectfully, just to make the fans watch and wonder what might have been.
And that about sums it up. Yeah, there isn't much to say about this TV movie, other than what I already did, like the fact that it's really good. I must say, it's amazing how accurate this story felt despite no one knowing what that particular conversation would have been like. And VH1 did not get any info from anyone who would know, not Paul and certainly not John. Still, they must have done something right, since, according to Aidan Quinn, Paul McCartney liked it a lot. Now that's a thumbs up you'd want. Actually, the only true tie to any of The Beatles was the director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who also directed many of their promotional music video and the documentary Let It Be. I think his being there gave it some real legitimacy and history where Beatles things are concerned.
This is just a very well-made, well-written, well-acted, simple, but effective movie. Sometimes that's all you need. Besides love, of course. Now I haven't seen it on TV in years, but you can rent the DVD. If you are a fan of The Beatles, or even just John or Paul, I say give it a watch. It might make you see things differently, but better.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
