Broad Street

I don't like reviews that take the liberty of speaking for me. Most of the previous reviews say things like, 'if you're a Beatles fan, you'll love this movie'; or 'this movie is for every McCartney fan,' etc.

I may be the biggest Beatles fan in the state and probably the biggest Paul McCartney fan in the country, but the fact remains that this movie is terrible. It's just plain boring, no two ways about it.

Two of the three new songs, "No Values" and "Not Such a Bad Boy" are mediocre at best. The script drags, the acting is sub-par, and the plot is uninteresting.

The only part I liked was when Paul was buskin' it on the street with his guitar, a glimpse of how easy music comes to him. That's also my favorite version of "Yesterday." I wish I could get it on CD.

Paul is the best, but Give my Regards to Broadstreet is garbage. Not every Beatles fan will enjoy it. This one didn't.

A movie for two kinds of people:

(1) Avid admirers of the undeniably talented Paul McCartney who are interested in watching their hero branch out into startling new directions (acting, screenwriting), as well as to see and hear him perform one of his best songs from the 80s (the lovely "No More Lonely Nights") and offer fresh reinterpretations of his many hits (including a version of "Here, There, and Everywhere" that may be superior to the much loved rendition that appears on the Beatles' "Revolver" lp); and

(2) Those who take a mean-spirited pleasure in seeing one of the high and mighty fall, quite spectacularly, on his face. The stench from a dozen bad Elvis movies could not hope to compete with the travesty that is this film. But then Elvis had the good sense not to write his own screenplays. Then again, there really isn't a screenplay here at all, only a credit for one given to Mr. McCartney. That, it seems, is the problem. The cast, including Ringo Starr, just stand in front of the camera with nothing to do. Only when McCartney is performing does this egomaniacal enterprise show any competence or even signs of life. Next to this, "Magical Mystery Tour" is the classic that Mr. Mac seems to think it is.

Paul and Co. do a wonderful job here. Not a bad film attempt for a man whose only previous movie work was hamming it up with the other Beatles. Set design, locations, song selection, performance all top notch. If you are looking for a "Popeye Doyle" put to music, keep looking. If you love the work of Paul, you have found a great movie! The acting is surprisingly good...Paul emotes, Ringo deadpans, Brian acts as a fine Englishman should. Bit parts by Linda McCartney, Barbara Bach, Tracey Ullman, Giant Haystacks and Sir Ralph Richardson all meld together beautifully. Do not believe the reviews that came out in 1984. They were probably written by left-over stones fans. Paul it's time you recorded "McCartney III" and did another film. Cheers!

Paul McCartney's self-indulgent exercise in tolerance isn't much better today than it was at the time of its release. I'm a big Beatles/Solo Beatles fan and even I have never been able to warm up to this. It's gloomy, depressing, pointless and grim. The only reason to watch is for the McCartney tunes - ranging from updated renditions of old Beatles classics ("Yesterday," "Here, There and Everywhere") to some newer songs that range from the rockin' ("Not Such a Bad Boy," "No Values") to the soft and sweet ("So Bad," "No More Lonely Nights"). Most embarrassing moment is a rendition of "Silly Love Songs" with the band in ridiculous makeup as an absurd break dancer performs in the foreground; most excruciating sequence involves a never-ending dream which concludes "Eleanor Rigby". McCartney should have learned long ago with MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR that he is not a screenplay writer. It's also terribly directed and acted.

I'm not going to review the film per se because so many have done that. I want to explore Sir Paul's motivations for making this film. He said on the Tonite Show that he had had his season of mania with the Fab Four and wanted to explore something different. At the time he's a father of four and lives a full but more sane lifestyle. I don't care if you're a nobody or a famous entertainer, everybody gets the jitters when putting themselves out there with something new. It's a frightening proposition. I acted in a movie that made the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to Netflix. Critics were not very kind to us and for my part there was only one critic that wrote _the movie would then cut to pointless scenes with the father of the protagonist_ At least it wasn't personal! The slings and arrows hurt Sir Paul as much as they hurt me.

People complain that it's not so much a movie as it is an extended music video, it has no arc and has disjointed scenes (possibly the same critics that gave _HELP_ rave reviews.) Approach it like that, as a fan of Sir Paul. The Eleanor Rigby scene in the theater was wonderful I thought. Expect it to be just an extended music video with Ringo and Paul dressed in period costume rowing down a river for no logical reason. And give him some grace and kudos for putting himself out there. I did, and as a Beatles fan growing up in the 60's I enjoyed it. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it.