Across the Universe

Let me start by saying this: I don’t generally like musicals, and I’m rather ambivalent about the Beatles. That being said, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe (2007) is a surprisingly good film. It has some disagreeable bits, and probably deserves a good amount of trimming, but on the whole it’s a beautiful, strikingly creative film, mixing remarkable imagery with a lengthy playlist of Beatles favorites.

Jude (Jim Sturgess) is a Liverpool dockworker who goes to the United States in search of his father (Robert Clohessy), working as a janitor at Princeton University. While there, he hangs out with Max (Joe Anderson), a likeable slacker, who takes Jude home for Thanksgiving, where he meets sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), who’s boyfriend (Spencer Liff) was killed in Vietnam. Jude, Max and Lucy move to New York City, where they find themselves befriending musicians Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and JoJo (Martin Luther McCoy) and joining the counterculture movement – just as Max is drafted into the Army. Jude and Lucy fall in love, but Lucy’s increasing commitment to the anti-war movement and Jude’s artistic frustrations drive them apart.

At first glance, Across the Universe seems a dubious prospect, a weak plot contrived as a clothesline for Beatles songs. Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band tried something similar back in the ’70s, and we all know how that went. Fortunately, Across the Universe actually makes something of the material, resulting in a delightful film; the thin plot and clichéd portrayal of the ‘60s are excusable because everything that really matters is just about perfect.

Taymor’s direction is gob-smackingly brilliant. Every musical number is staged with verve and creativity, making brilliant use of choreography, costume, and incredibly creative images. The highpoint is the Strawberry Fields sequence, with bleeding strawberries and paint-splattering intercut with a flashing TV and bombs raining on Vietnam. It’s a truly astonishing scene, and the film has many like it, from the masked soldiers of I Want You to the bizarre circus imagery of Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite. Aside from some overuse of CGI (which can’t really be faulted in a 2007 film), the film is a visual delight, with the songs creatively arranged and inventively staged. It's to Taymor's credit that she realizes that the mere presence of Beatles music doesn't make a quality film, but actually does something with it. And what a something.

For all its virtues, the film could have used some pruning; many plot elements and scenes seem included for the sole purpose of jamming as many songs into the film as possible. The character of Prudence (T.V. Carpio), a closeted lesbian, is particularly egregious; she’s the focus of four musical numbers while contributing virtually nothing to the story. JoJo and Sadie are better-realized as characters but one could argue they’re superfluous to the story. If I were a Beatles fan I might forgive of this lack of dramatic economy, but I’m watching a film, not shuffling my iPod. When the focus is on our three main protagonists, however, the film is generally excellent.

Jim Sturgess (The Other Boleyn Girl) is a charming, likeable protagonist. Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) is a bit weak in comparison though she has a lovely singing voice. Joe Anderson and T.V. Carpio do fine work with underdeveloped characters; Dana Suchs and Martin Luther McCoy bring great chemistry and manic energy to their roles. The film also sports fun cameos by Bono, Eddie Izzard and Salma Hayek, among many others.

Across the Universe was a pleasant surprise, a beautifully conceived movie and engrossing experience. After this film, maybe I'll finally come around to the Beatles' universal appeal. Then again, I may relish my self-appointed iconoclast role until the end of time. Up with Mitch Miller and His Sing-Along Gang!