I Wanna Hold Your Hand

They got no money, no tickets, no drivers license, and no fear.

     Picture yourself in 1964. The Beatles have arrived in America for the very first time. What if you had the chance to sneak out of your home to see John, Paul, George and Ringo in person? That'd be awesome, huh? Well, that's what these teens did in Robert Zemekis's film, I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Starring Nancy Allen (Carrie and Robocop), Wendie Jo Sperber (Bosom Buddies), Bobby Di Circco, Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen in Superman), Eddie Deezen (voice of Mandark in Dexter's Laboratory), and featuring radio DJ Murray the K, swinging soiree. This movie is for all Beatle lovers out there.
     It's February 1964. The Beatles just arrived in New York City to perform live on The Ed Sullivan Show. With the word being out, Beatlemania is going on all around the country. Our story begins in Maplewood, New Jersey, where six teens plan to sneak out of town to go to the hotel that The Beatles are staying at. Let me tell you about some of teens. First is Rosie (Sperber), a HUGE Beatles fanatic who has a major crush on Paul. Next is Pam (Allen), a shy girl who plans to elope. Janis, a girl who hates the Beatles and thinks they are encroaching more talented musicians. And Grace, a girl who works for the school paper, looking for a big break.  The girls hatch a plan to go to NYC to meet The Beatles. Pam didn't want to go, due to the fact that she was getting married, but her friends made her go. The girls convince Larry DuBois to "borrow" his dad's Cadillac in order to take them to the hotel The Beatles are staying at.  Later, the teens are joined mid-trip by Tony Smerko, the local bad boy in town who thinks that The Beatles suck. When the teens arrive at the Plaza hotel, cops are patrolling the area. So, it's every teen for themselves as they go on their own adventures such as Rosie meeting another Beatle fanatic, Richard "Ringo" Klaus, who claims he knows EVERYTHING about The Beatles. To see if the teens get to meet The Beatles, watch this movie.

"YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!!! I WANNA HOLD YOUR 'GLANDS'!" 

    As a die-hard Beatles fan, I LOVE IT!!! I especially love the story, these kids sneaking out of town to see The Beatles perform on Ed Sullivan. If it were 1964 now, I would run away from home to see Paul McCartney. What else I love about this movie is that the reactions to The Beatles from all the girls in the crowd is accurate. Girls were hysterically mad for The Beatles. I'm not kidding. Also, I loved the character of Rosie, because she loves Paul like I do. Paul is my most favorite Beatle! And of course, I like this movie because Robert Zemekis (Back to the Future, Roger Rabbit and Forest Gump) directed this. Robert Zemekis is one of my favorite movie directors and I hope to meet him someday.

Parents Guide: Rated PG. This may not be suitable for children. Rosie is so in love with Paul, she wants to have sex with him. There's some mild profanity in the movie. One use of the phrase "pussy-whipped". So parents who are Beatles fans, watch this with your children for advisory. 

Did You Know?: This was Robert Zemekis's director debut. According to the audio commentary, Nancy Allen was only 27 when she made this movie. First film produced by Steven Spielberg. The working titles for this film were "Beatlemania" and "Beatles 4ever!". 

In March, I Wanna Hold Your Hand will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray by The Criterion Collection. 

PAUL McCARTNEY FOREVER!!!

One last thing, show your kids Beat Bugs on NETFLIX. 

All You Need Is Love!