[5]
In 1964, six teenagers travel to New York City hoping to score tickets to the Beatles’ now-legendary appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. A comedy of errors ensues, as the ensemble splits up trying to obtain tickets — by any means necessary. Along the way, some of the characters pair up and develop feelings for one another. The film ends in a climactic recreation of the famous television performance before a crowd of (mostly) young women losing their minds.
Wendie Jo Sperber is my favorite cast member here. She plays the most Beatles-obsessed character of the bunch and delivers an appropriately over-the-top performance. In one moment, she’s screaming euphorically and in the next she’s sobbing in defeat. In terms of charisma, she’s the movie’s MVP. Nancy Allen (RoboCop, Carrie) is noteworthy as the only character who serendipitously winds up alone in the Beatles’ empty hotel room. She gets one of the film’s best sequences, where she makes loves to one of the band’s guitars, rolls around in their bedsheets, and mines their hair-brushes for loose hairs that she rubs all over her face in ecstasy. Marc McClure (Superman‘s Jimmy Olsen) is sweet as a nervous pushover who finds the nerve to stand up for himself.
While I love most of the casting, the screenplay never quite hooks me. While there are dramatic moments given to each character, most of them come late in the film — almost as an afterthought. The rest of the film is far more plot-oriented than character-oriented, and the rinse-and-repeat cycle of sketch comedy skits becomes tiresome. A lot of the comedy falls flat, too. I couldn’t help but think the film was conceived to cash-in on the success of American Graffiti. Unfortunately, it pales in comparison in every way. The characters in American Graffiti aren’t as constrained by plot shenanigans, are all more grounded in reality, and are thus far more compelling to the audience.
With Bobby DiCicco, Theresa Saldana, and nerdy Eddie Deezen (Grease‘s Eugene). I Wanna Hold Your Hand is the feature film debut of director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), co-written and co-produced by Bob Gale, and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg.