Across the Universe (2007)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Julie Taymor

Writers (WGA):

Dick Clement (screenplay) &
Ian La Frenais (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

All you need is love.

Plot:

The music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.

Plot Keywords:

The Beatles | Song | Love | Protest | Anti War

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

Evan Rachel Wood	...	Lucy
Jim Sturgess	...	Jude
Joe Anderson	...	Max Carrigan
Dana Fuchs	...	Sadie
Martin Luther	...	Jo-Jo (as Martin Luther McCoy)
T.V. Carpio	...	Prudence
Spencer Liff	...	Daniel
Lisa Hogg	...	Jude's Liverpool Girlfriend
Nicholas Lumley	...	Cyril
Michael Ryan	...	Phil
Angela Mounsey	...	Jude's Mother
Erin Elliott	...	Cheer Coach
Robert Clohessy	...	Jude's Father
Christopher Tierney	...	Dorm Buddy / Dancer
Curtis Holbrook	...	Dorm Buddy

Also Known As:

Untitled Julie Taymor Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language.

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #42759) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | UK:12 | Finland:K-13 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | Iceland:12 (original rating) | Iceland:L (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Armour-Stiner House, Irvington, New York, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

During the performance of Strawberry Fields, the main characters watch TV. In the counter shot we see the same image projected on their faces. This is a reference to the promotional video that the Beatles made to accompany the song when it was released.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the "Come Together" dance number in the New York, one of the dancers holding a briefcase trips during the combination.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jude: [singing] Is there anybody going to listen to my story all about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl you want so much, it makes you sorry. Still, you don't regret a single day. Aw, girl. Girl...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-11-03)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Girl

Taymor does it again!

I absolutely loved it.

It's very hard to describe, because I wouldn't classify it as a traditional musical. It's not set up so that there's a scene, then a song, then a scene again; everything just flows seamlessly. Wonderful acting from all of the cast,with some great improv from Bono and Eddie Izzard. Definitely standout performances from Dana Fuchs (who has the most AMAZING voice), Martin Luther, and TV Carpio. Also a nice cameo by Salma Hayek, who apparently asked Julie Taymor if there was a part for her in the movie, and when Julie told her that she could be one of the nurses, Salma replied "ONE of the nurses, Julie?"

Overall an excellent film. Taymor fans will definitely appreciate it (it has a lot of her traditional colorful imagery, masks, and puppets). I'm planning on seeing it a few more times just to take it all in. It's certainly going to be a film you have to see more than once to really appreciate.