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Synopsis
The Beatles'
songs may have provided the soundtrack for the lives of
those coming of age in the 1960s, but their extensive
catalogue acts as the literal soundtrack in this romantic
musical from visionary director Julie Taymor. Newcomer Jim
Sturgess stars as Jude, a young man working on the docks in
Liverpool. Eager to escape, he travels to Princeton where he
meets Max (Joe Anderson). But it's his meeting with Max's
younger sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) that changes him.
They quickly fall in love, but their relationship is tested
by the chaos of the late 1960s and Max's unwilling tour in
Vietnam. Throughout the film, characters burst into classics
from the Beatles: frat boys sing "With a Little Help from My
Friends," while Uncle Sam bursts from a recruitment poster
with strains of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." U2's Bono
makes a cameo as a counterculture leader and croons "I Am
the Walrus," and actor-comedian Eddie Izzard provides a
trippy rendition of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."
Sturgess has the voice, charm, and good looks to fill Shea
Stadium with hordes of screaming young women. As Jude, he's
earnest and certainly capable of carrying the film. Wood
capably balances Lucy's naivete and knowledge, easily moving
between her love for Jude and her passion for her cause.
Though the performances are strong, it's Taymor's gifted
direction that makes ACROSS THE UNIVERSE so fascinating to
watch. As in FRIDA and Broadway's THE LION KING, she proves
herself an artist with creativity few can match. Director of
photography Bruno Delbonnel also deserves praise for his
contribution to the striking visuals. He has worked with
Jean-Pierre Jeunet on AMELIE and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, and
he brings the same sense of romance and whimsy to this
unique musical.
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