Celluloid Heroes

You can do anything.

There I was, watching a heartfelt drama about a family suffering the tragic loss of one son, and the TV suddenly switched over to a lame afterschool special. Oh, wait, it was actually same movie. Based in part on the real life story of producer and star Elizabeth Shue, Gracie can’t be faulted for its sincerity. The emotional core of the story is real enough, as Shue really did suffer the loss of a beloved brother, but what follows is lacking in either originality or subtlety.

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I thought she was a sandwich ‘til she went spare on me hand.

With the first Beatles movie, A Hard Day’s Night, they had the good sense not to saddle the lads with anything that closely resembled a plot. Their 1965 follow-up is similarly devoid of a storyline but saddled with the unnecessary appearance of having a plot. The alleged narrative ends up accomplishing nothing but diverting attention away from the music and scenes of the Beatles doing what they did best: being the Beatles. There are a few moments in which the four boys get the chance to cut loose and in those scenes, Help! does manage to come to life. Alas, there are not enough of those.

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