Paul's Mid-Life Crisis? Give My Regards to Broad Street Review

[@davidfriend4328]

When I first heard about this film in 2002, when I was thirteen, I became incredibly eager to find it. But that wasn't easy at the time. I didn't know about eBay. I went to The Beatles Shop in Matthew Street, Liverpool, and the guy there had never heard of it. A few months later, my dad saw an advert for videos in a rock magazine, and was able to send away for it.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Well, I'm glad you managed to hunt it down one way or another! Thanks for watching, David!

[@soapybsuds]

"9 million dollar home movie" 🤣 harsh but im using that one

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah, it's a great insult, isn't it!

[@Kermit_T_Frog]

You'd think that Paul would have learned from "Magical Mystery Tour" that he was not cut out for movie making.

[@Kieop]

Great video essay. I found your comments witty and apt. As for the movie, it is objectively "not good", in that there is no plot or character development. None of the "characters" have any agency, not even Paul. However, that is also what is brilliant about this film. It is all a dream. And it faithfully follows dream logic. Obviously, this is not a day in the life, since no one would be able to have a recording session, shoot a music video, do a radio interview and performance, attend a board meeting and conduct a rehearsal all in the same day. Paul has fallen asleep and through this dream he is processing all his fears -- specifically loss and betrayal. He is in danger of losing his music, his company (legacy) and everyone he loves. But because we have no agency in dreams, he can do nothing to solve his problem, he can only drift through the set pieces of the dream. He does eventually win at the end, possibly because he in that liminal state before waking up where you can start to "think/act" in a dream. Anyway, I found this movie more watchable than some other 80s music movies. But you're right, it is for fans only.

[@EnchantedEssays]

True, but Magical Mystery Tour did this better. The big mystery was hanging over this film. I would have preferred it if it made less sense! But, yeah, it certainly could be worse. It certainly wasn't unentertaining! Thanks for watching! ✌❤

[@johnithan]

Ringo in Caveman is worth a watch.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Oh yes I've heard of that. I must get round to watching that one at some point! Thanks for watching, John!

[@derekroberts6654]

Lennon’s murder really effected Paul on a deep level when you look at his few albums and projects after. his stints with Stevie Wonder and more so Micheal Jackson and then this movie. He virtually buried himself in these projects. In each of these projects, albums, movies in the 80s theres a lot of emotional baggage he’s subliminally expressing. Even this movie when he’s trying to search for the tapes and his friend you see that fantasy sequence where you see his friends go over the Waterfall and he’s running to save them but to no avail and then his friend gets murdered on the streets (someone stabs him) and he watches helplessly…😞😢 You can just tell he’s mourning for John. 💔

[@EnchantedEssays]

I hadn't thought of it like that before. Thanks for watching!

[@derekroberts6654]

I also think the song “Waterfalls” from “Mccartney 2” has an unsettling tone. How it came out in 1980 and the lyrics….😢. i don’t think that was written to John per say maybe his kids. But when you stop and think John was just coming out of retirement and making music again and an album. You see John and Yoko on the streets talking to fans like those on the basketball court he was passing by. i guess you can John was “Jumping Waterfalls”…

[@EnchantedEssays]

@@derekroberts6654 I'll check it out. Thanks for watching, Derek

[@CaraxesBloodWyrm711]

Always considered myself a “big Beatles fan” but I never heard of this! I wonder if it’s worse than magical mystery tour! 😂

[@EnchantedEssays]

Ooo! Good question! I'll be looking at that in my next video essay!

[@cyrilmauras4247]

Far worse than 'Magical Mystery Tour'.

[@stuartshire]

I think it’s far superior to MMT . I watch it a lot and rarely watch MMT

[@mmsiphonevinyls1027]

It makes Magical Mystery Tour look like A Hard Days Night IMO.

[@kommissar.murphy]

The version of silly love songs where they are dressed up as robots is the bomb.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah I love that. If the film was just a load of videos like that, Eleanor Rigby and Ballroom Dancing, I would have fewer complaints. Thanks for watching!

[@billslocum9819]

It is tempting to think of Paul doing this seven years earlier, coming off a gigantically successful world tour, this time with a director but with the same basic idea. The biggest problem with a Paul movie would always be Paul, who was never an actor and not comfortable playing the fool on screen. But he was creative and culturally relevant in the 1970s in a supercharged way he wasn't in 1984, and I feel like he would have played off of that better than whatever it is he's supposed to be going through here.

[@EnchantedEssays]

I see what you mean. I hadn't thought of that not playing the fool thing. He doesn't come across as a Neil Breen-style Mary Sue, but he definitely tried to write himself as cool and witty and that wouldn't have come off as quite as cringe if he was more relevant at the time. Thanks for watching!

[@toothbrush5190]

I went to a pre opening night screening. You shoulda heard the talk afterwards…

[@EnchantedEssays]

I can imagine! Thanks for watching, Larry!

[@karlfran0404]

I managed to catch this movie on KZbin. It was fun but certainly something to have in the background, like a string of vintage MTV videos. The story was barely able to make sense, but it did its job.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah I see what you mean. Thanks for watching!

[@PeaceNYC2011]

What I have always been confused by is Paul is and was one of the most respected and regarded artists on earth so any respected screenwriter or director would have been more than happy to give his script a review or help re-writing and offer solid counsel and guidance. Keeping a film all to oneself when it is not your main skillset never works out well.

[@EnchantedEssays]

I guess it was because he started writing the film straight away rather than feeling like making a film. I guess he just thought people would tell him if it wasn't very good. Thanks for watching, Rosemary!

[@phillipseifert694]

This is another one that I saw on release … only realizing that due to seeing scenes in this review and the name of it rang a bell. I don’t remember anything about it vs something like yellow submarine that after all these years , I could still rough out the plot line of if asked. I will say “who cares ? It’s Paul and he has nothing to prove”

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah very true! It certainly didn't kill his career! Thanks for watching!

[@Halliday7895]

this is actually a good movie about friendship and second chances a lesson in trusting your gut and ....A Day in the Life of Paul McCartney! people say it has no plot but its pretty clear to me Paul is daydreaming and going about his busy busy day....TV interviews Film session recording sessions...band practice and his imagination of what MIGHT be happening to his missing friend/personal assistant. I had the melodic motif theme in my head for a week after...that no more lonely nights theme used as his car computers notification tone haha the 4 note theme is repeated over the fim in many ways. I think the proper audience for this was too busy with careers and raising kids to go out to the movies for this masterpiece! it sort of foreshadows Lindas untimely death too. It's available to watch for FREE on KZbin! Go watch it! Oddly enough i bought the Vinyl record at the flea market last year just because it was a Paul album and I liked the track listing including remakes of hits...its solid.

[@EnchantedEssays]

I see where you're coming from, but in my opinion, it just needed to go all in. Be more dreamlike, be more of a mystery, etc. It had some good ideas, great set pieces, and fantastic songs [plenty better than the originals imho] but the film as a whole wasn't very well paced and I think it needed an actual writer to write a second draft. Thanks for watching!

[@slyaspie4934]

Brilliant work never heard of this film before and found a great channel as well, thanks to the KZbin gods for the recommendation and thank you for the upload

[@EnchantedEssays]

Aw! Thank you!

[@Robutube1]

A fair review of a film that did not fulfill it's potential. A script in which Paul is one of a small ensemble would have served his limited acting chops better. Cracking soundtrack though!

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah he's great when he makes cameos as himself here and there in sketches and things where he just acts chill, but that doesn't work when he's supposed to be worried. I've certainly seen worse though! Thanks for watching!

[@chris-io1ki]

Tbf,i didnt mind this movie. Paul is a great singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and the music for the movie was very good i thought. The film was light hearted and not at all serious. But it doesnt make it bad to watch. If you are a fan,its something you're gonna be tempted to watch. I was amused when i first saw it for other people quietly singing along. Eleanors Dream turned Eleanor Rigby into a 13min masterpiece which was a story in itself. I listen to Eleanor Rigby/Eleanors Dream during my bath time lol. 13 minutes in the bath every night😂 Thats it. Its finished. What you gonna do now. (What you gonna do now?) Out.! I'm getting out😂😂😂

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah the songs and the music video style segments are definitely the highlights. I think I would have preferred it if it was just that rather than having the plot or segments where they just stand there in an empty room playing 3 songs back to back. If the film was more style over substance, it would have been more fun. Thanks for watching!

[@kaztouch1]

At least Paul knew when to stop…..unlike Madonna and M. Night Shalyman.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Indeed! Thanks for watching!

[@farmhouse78]

You got to at least give him credit for trying pretty much every genre of music and media at least ONCE! Critics have always been WAY too hard on EVERYTHING Paul has done since The Beatles. It sounds weird to say, but Paul McCartney is extremely underrated! Is this film good... not REALLY, but the reviews all hit below the belt. It was an example of people HATING on something simply for the sake of hating it without ever SEEING it

[@EnchantedEssays]

I agree. I concurred with the majority of actual criticisms of those critics, but I definitely had a more positive attitude towards it overall. They were acid (and not the kind of acid Paul liked!) The soundtrack album is one of my most listened to albums this year and the music video parts of the film are great in their own right. Thanks for watching!

[@CaretakerWanted]

Aaaayyyy congrats on 500 subs!!!

[@EnchantedEssays]

Aw thank you!

[@toddlee2571]

A Frankenstein of a movie, made from disparate parts, except that this monster lay inanimate upon the table, never drawing a breath. I did at least enjoy the soundtrack, which was a collection of re-recorded Macca and Beatles tunes. I liked the sound quality of the re-recorded material, but I could have done without his making a lounger out of Long And Winding Road.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah I agree. Apart from two or three pretty videos, the soundtrack is the film's saving grace. Thanks for watching, Todd!

[@Blueskies2513]

wait wh at, i thought that was just an abstract music video

[@EnchantedEssays]

It is indeed a film! Thanks for watching!

[@bernardbaker6803]

Like some of his solo stuff, but essentially this should be a collection of music videos instead of an appalling dialogue filled plot not worthy of a 4 year old. I actually thought the rearrangement of the original songs were often better than the originals especially Silly Love Songs. The reason this has been forgotten is because Paul has gone full circle and become an icon/legend so people forget all the doggerel he produced!!!!

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah the soundtrack versions are fab. Thanks for watching, Bernard!

[@robmclean4352]

One review I read pointed out the fact that, in the universe of this movie, there is no John Lennon -- even in the past.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Ooo I hadn't thought of it like that. Although in fairness, I don't think they mention George either. I don't think there would have been a way to mention John in a way that was relevant or appropriate to be fair, especially as his assassination was only 3 or 4 years earlier. Anyway, thanks for watching, Rob!

[@TerryVancouver360]

More or less, Paul's acting feels stiff because Paul is not the humorous type. In the same vein as The Beatles films, this film is embarrassing and feels strange. From Broadway, he suddenly made it to England, although Ringgo helped him, but to no avail.🗿

[@EnchantedEssays]

I see what you mean. Thanks for watching!

[@pts5217]

That’s nonsense. Hard Days Night is an absolute classic and Paul is very funny and charismatic…his acting in this movie was terrible though

[@Ihy744ppp]

@@pts5217Paul has a great sense of humor! But I guess that’s not what you meant…

[@cyrilmauras4247]

Loved the music, bored by the film.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Same here! 😂

[@Halliday7895]

people are disappointed because they are expecting a hollywood film but its not its a music movie...about paul...its for the hardcore fans not general public like a hollywood blockbuster or marvel universe vomit. i think because it got panned i went in with low expectations...i liked the victorian era scenes and the performances in the music videos.

[@EnchantedEssays]

I agree, but it bit off more than it could chew. The music video style sequences are great, but then there's a bit where they play 3 songs back to back in a warehouse and it completely kills the pace. I think if it was more of a spectacle throughout, I would be less harsh on it. It's a shame that it feels like less than the sum of its parts. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@UnderTheCovers1]

I saw this less as a Mid-Life crisis as Paul being envious of the success of "little brother" George Harrison's movie production company Handmade Films. In the early 80s Handmade was having a great deal of success and Paul naively thought he could do films as well. Egg on his face.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Ooo I hadn't thought of that. I've been planning on looking into some of the stuff George produced...

[@mmsiphonevinyls1027]

@@EnchantedEssays soon after it did come crashing down for Handmade. One of the big turkeys being the Madonna flick Shanghai Surprise, that George famously said “made Broad Street look like an epic”

[@durandaldevil]

Great video but that’s not Paul playing funk bass. Not his style.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yes I know. It was Louis Johnson I think. Thanks for watching!

[@senselessbabbledotcom]

Cruddy movie, but great great music!

[@EnchantedEssays]

Absolutely! It's definitely going to be my most listened to album this year! Thanks for watching!

[@stuartshire]

I love the film 😊

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah I don't think it's great but there's certainly fun to be had and I can see why some would enjoy it more than me. It's probably better for people to watch it for the first time now, as its reputation does lower expectations! It certainly wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be! Thanks for watching! ✌❤

[@stuartshire]

@@EnchantedEssays I can totally see the flaws but the truth is after Help ! It’s the Beatles film I watch the most . Your review was perfectly balanced 😊👍

[@EnchantedEssays]

@@stuartshire Thank you!

[@TheNewSoda]

Honestly compared to modern marvel Star Wars hell 99% of all modern movies are way worse than this movie. Yeah Paul never wanted to be conventional and ever have a plot but I will say his movie is way more interesting then literally literally anything mainstream Hollywood is putting out now especially when it's not even trying to tell a interesting story anymore. At least give my regards to Broad Street has more of the plot then even the latest marvel disaster

[@EnchantedEssays]

I haven't seen a Marvel film since the first Guardians came out when I was a teenager, and I don't think I've seen a family franchise blockbuster since the Force Awakens so I honestly can't compare. Whilst I'll give him marks for originality, the problem is not so much the plot's concept, but the pace. I want to have a good time with it, and I do for plenty of the runtime, but you can only get so much mileage from characters saying "we need to do something about this serious problem" and then doing practically nothing about it for most of the film. That rehearsal scene where they play 3 songs back to back is pretty tedious. There's no plot or spectacle. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the whole film was spectacle like Magical Mystery Tour. Like I said in the video, it's a shame. There was a lot of potential here. It's just less than the sum of its parts. Thanks for watching!

[@octaviussludberry9016]

Wow, Joe Siegel!! Some 'tache!!

[@EnchantedEssays]

Indeed! That guy literally looks like he's holding a comb in front of his face!

[@octaviussludberry9016]

@@EnchantedEssays I'm almost inspired to emulate it. 🤣

[@EnchantedEssays]

😂

[@christopherjones67]

Paul is a brilliant songwriter but he' he's no actor. John Lennon however was & would've been brilliant in comedy roles.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah I'd say that Paul is pretty good when he plays himself in little cameos here and there but he just can't do anything other than chill. Thanks for watching, Christopher!

[@capitangorila4899]

Paul is a BEATLE. OK ? So More Respect He is a World Music Figure He is probably with John Lennon the most bigger composer at the XX Century and Milenium Too. So .....Are You .... Martin Scorcesse or Steven Spilberg or Bryan De Palma ???????????

[@onkcuf]

Not a mid wife crisis?

[@kaztouch1]

I am a big fan of The Beatles and McCartney but a realistic one and this film was and is a piece of garbage. Ranks right up there with Magical Mystery Tour.

[@EnchantedEssays]

I'd argue that Magical Mystery Tour is at least a style over substance experience. I think Give My Regards to Broad Street tried and failed by having a plot and then the characters do nothing about it for most of the film.

[@joetrampozzo5859]

Worse movie ever

[@EnchantedEssays]

This movie is bad but, I have to say, if this is the worst movie you've ever seen, you're incredibly lucky! Thanks for watching!

[@pandaeyes42]

.daed si luaP

[@EnchantedEssays]

.nonneL nhoJ yb edaM

[@goriotv2023]

Give my Regards to this awful movie. Paul can't act.

[@EnchantedEssays]

Yeah. He's not completely wooden, but he's way too chill throughout!

[@goriotv2023]

@@EnchantedEssays He is wooden. Same with Ringo. Ringo forgot to act. He supposed to be the actor.

[@EnchantedEssays]

@@goriotv2023 With all due respect, I think that the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton in the Sgt Pepper movie and Harry Nilsson in Son of Dracula are definitely worse! If you haven't seen Son of Dracula, you are truly blessed! Thanks for watching!