On paper, Across the Universe has the potential to become a contemporary movie classic that transcends generations.
Dramatic love story where precocious but passionate girl meets brooding but endearing boy? Check. Topical subjects (war, sexual politics, drug use, etc.) tackled in an honest and somewhat controversial manner? Check. Special effects and artistic direction that both captivate and enchant? Check. Surprising cameos (think Joe Cocker, Salma Hayek, Eddie Izzard and Bono) and subtle pop culture references for Beatles fans? Check. Amazing soundtrack performed by gifted vocalists with lyrics and music courtesy of John, Paul, George and Ringo? Double check.
The film follows Liverpool dockworker Jude (Jim Sturgess) in his search for his estranged father across the Atlantic. There he finds friendship in ne'er-do-well Max (Joe Anderson) and love in Max's sheltered, but good-intentioned sister, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). After Max drops out of Princeton, he and Jude travel to cultural hotspot New York City in search of freedom and happiness. The two move in with a ragtag group of musicians and artists and find themselves caught in a whirlwind of draft-escape plans, Vietnam War protests, psychedelic bus trips and everything else the 60s represent.
Yet, despite all of this, Across the Universe fails to fulfill its promise.
The love story, like the rest of the plot, has major holes. This primarily has to do with the passage of time, which is unclear at best and marked only by a series of historically significant events, ranging from the Detroit riots to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Additionally, characters form bonds and relationships, break up and betray one another, suffer independently and regret their decisions, in record time. Yet magically, through singing songs by The Beatles, they rejoin their significant others. The characters return to their clan of friends, who they found more through accident than fate, and find happiness in the chaos of the 60s.
Furthermore, the characters have limited development and appear, in many ways, as caricatures of figures from the 1960s. The mix of artists, musicians and activists, as well as the conventional families and corporate suits that try to control them, seem typical and without surprise. Their depth has restrictions based on the archetypes they fill, and even the characters appear frustrated by their lack of range. This does not imply, however, a shortfall in the emotionality of the characters or their portrayers, all of whom show the vibrancy, enthusiasm, insecurity and heartbreak of the time and its generation.
Also falling short, the direction takes the simplest translation of The Beatles' lyrics and often seems inconsistent in its transition from real life to drug-induced hallucinations. Though the color, movement and creativity prove Julie Taymore (Frida) has prowess as an art house director, she seems too focused on being artistic than truly telling the story.
Across the Universe is by no means a great cinematic work and it seems unlikely that it will be anything more than a short-term movie theater occupant and nice slot in the indie section of movie stores. That said, I absolutely loved it. The covers of the Beatles are great, the actors expressive, and, while the story and direction fall flat in many respects, the message and imagery stick with you. This proves that not every movie needs to be an award-winning classic, and there is something to be said for a film that just entertains. After all, in movies, like life, all you need is love.
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