A Hard Day's Night
Seen it?1964 | 88 min | Comedy, Music
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (98% on Rotten Tomatoes), it made about 20 times its budget and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Help!, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Light and funny.
- The pace
- Breezy, at 1 hr 28 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated G, but peril.
- Made in 1964: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 96 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.3 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$11 million worldwide on a $560K budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 192K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Richard Lester
- John LennonJohn
- Paul McCartneyPaul
- George HarrisonGeorge
- Ringo StarrRingo
- Wilfrid BrambellGrandfather
- Norman RossingtonNorm
- John JunkinShake
- Victor SpinettiT.V. Director
- Anna QuayleMillie
- Deryck GuylerPolice Inspector