Nowhere Boy is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson in her directorial debut.

Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon.

Following its premiere at the London Film Festival on 29 October 2009, Nowhere Boy opened in British theatres on 26 December 2009.

As the Quarrymen gain popularity, John meets Paul's friend, George Harrison, who becomes the band's lead guitarist.

At a birthday party which Julia throws for John, he confronts her about his absent father, Alf Lennon.

The film ends with the caption, "John phoned Mimi as soon as he arrived in Hamburg...and every week thereafter for the rest of his life."

It was shot on location in Liverpool, the last house on the right at the end of Sussex Road in Ickenham, Middlesex and at Ealing Studios in West London.

The director consulted both Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono about the script, with both firmly correcting the depiction of Mimi to be less strict and more loving of John.

[7] Lead actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was in the middle of filming Kick-Ass in autumn 2008 while he was preparing to audition for the role.

[8][9] Before landing on Johnson, Taylor-Johnson wanted singer Miles Kane to play the lead, after seeing him in an interview with bandmate Alex Turner, and being struck by their Beatlesque appearance.

Taylor-Johnson went backstage to a Last Shadow Puppets show and brought Kane the script, with him ultimately passing on the role.

The site's critical consensus of the film is: "Don't expect any musical insights, but this look at John Lennon's early life benefits from its restrained, low-key approach and some fine acting from Aaron Johnson.

"[16] In The New York Times, reviewer Manohla Dargis concluded, "It's a pleasant-enough creation story to revisit, one weighted down by melodrama and lifted up by some rocking tunes.

"[17] In his 2013 book Tune In, Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn criticised the historical accuracy of the scene in which Lennon is forced to choose between Alfred and Julia, writing "John's 'choice' was not between his mother and father, it was between his mostly absent dad's friend's parents—in whose lives he had no place—and home and school back in Liverpool.

[23] In addition to the featured songs, British electronica duo Goldfrapp provide the film's instrumental score.