Allan C
Hilarious under-seen Beatlemania comedy classic
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) ****1/2
Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale's first produced script, and also the directorial debut of Zemeckis (FORREST GUMP, CASTAWAY, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT), both of whom would go on to make the classic films USED CARS, ROMANCING THE STONE, and BACK TO THE FUTURE. In this film, The Beatles have just landed in the US and are about to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. The story follows a group of teens who hatch a scheme to break into The Beatles' hotel room in order to meet them. With a super fun before-they-were famous cast, there's a lot of familiar faces for this small little comedy, including Nancy Allen (she had done CARRIE before this, but not DRESSED TO KILL or ROBOCOP yet), Bobby Di Cicco (THE BIG RED ONE), Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen in the SUPERMAN movies), Susan Kendall Newman (Paul Newman's Daughter), Eddie Deezen (WARGAMES, SURF II), and Wendie Jo Sperber (BOSOM BUDDIES). Once the Jersey teens arrive in NYC, they all break off into their own subplots trying to meet The Beatles (selling fake Beatles souvenirs, helping a little kid avoid a buzzcut to keep his Beatles hair, playing cat-and-mouse with hotel security, etc.), but it's really the likability of all the characters that makes the film so fun and memorable. Wendie Jo Sperber absolutely steals the film and every single scene she's in as the most crazed of the Beatles fans (at least until she meets Deezen). I'm shocked she didn't become a more famous of comedian. Nancy Allen is also terrific, playing the nice girl this time, as opposed to her villainous Chris in CARRIE, telling all the other girls they're being silly chasing the Fab Four, but the scene when she gets up close and personal with Paul's bass guitar has to be one of the funniest and most oddly sexy scenes of all time! Bobby Di Cicco is super funny too, as the greaser who acts like he hates The Beatles in order to impress a cute folk music girl. All the actors are great and give the film a charm that's missing from most films nowadays. It's a fantastic ensemble! I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND is the kind of film you find yourself with a dumb grin on your face from beginning to end. Interestingly, producer Steven Spielberg used almost the entire cast of this film for his big spectacle comedy 1941, also written by Zemeckis and Gale. Whereas that film had quite a few misfire comic set-pieces and tried to do too much when it should have dialed things back, this film has very few misfire jokes and manages to stay grounded and focused on the characters throughout. Overall, this I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND is an unsung comedy classic that I'm pretty sure just about everyone will enjoy. A must see! Seek it out (or ask to worry my copy)!
AI Capsule Review: Robert Zemeckis’ debut “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” is a wildly funny, surprisingly sweet Beatlemania comedy that captures the frenzy of 1964 with infectious energy. Anchored by an endearing ensemble (with Wendie Jo Sperber stealing the show), it’s a fast-paced, character-driven romp that never loses its charm. An overlooked gem that deserves to be rediscovered.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
09/01/25
Full Review
Yakking With F
I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a 1978 American historical comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starring Nancy Allen, Bobby Di Cicco, Marc McClure, Susan Kendall Newman, Theresa Saldana, Eddie Deezen, and Wendie Jo Sperber. Its storyline follows a disparate group of teenagers over the course of one day in New York City as they attempt to gain entry to the Beatles' first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. The film also examines the mass hysteria surrounding the event, dubbed "Beatlemania" for the fervency of the group's fans. The film's title is derived from the Beatles' 1963 song of the same name.
The film marked Zemeckis's feature film directorial debut, and was also the first film to be executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. Even though it was modestly budgeted, in order to convince Universal to bankroll it, Spielberg had to promise studio executives that, if Zemeckis was seen to be doing a markedly poor job, he would step in and direct the film himself.[1]
Despite positive previews and critical response, the film was not a financial success and was considered a flop, unable to recoup its rather modest $2.8 million budget. i have it on DVD edition from 2005 and blu ray edition from 2019 i do want to see this on the big screen with my dad
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
08/04/24
Full Review
Audience Member
The Beatles were one of the hottest bands back in the day Director Robert Zemeckis and producer Steven Speilberg present every young girls dream trying to come true when it comes to music It's NYC 1964 and the infamous band is scheduled to be performing live on tv on the Ed Sullivan Show 4 girls have no money and no tickets to the show but they will go to any length just to meet them in person With the exception of Nancy Allen everyone else is unknown Undermining artistic integrity is what a journalist hopes to prove, another girl has a boyfriend who hates the band and sneaking off to see them, while the third girl hopes to take snapshots to further her photography career This turns into a fun adventure of these girls following their hearts during a pivotal cultural moment Draws the line between funny and pure fan obsession People go to hardcore extremes when it comes to their favorite musicians Everybody just wants a piece of the action no matter how crazy the journey gets Beetlemania is where it's at and this movie has an infectious energy with all involved thanks to Zemeckis and Speilberg It's all about exiting adolescence and entering adulthood after seeing their music icons We can all relate to being young and a little crazy
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
04/21/24
Full Review
Audience Member
The Beatles were one of the hottest bands back in the day Director Robert Zemeckis and producer Steven Speilberg present every young girls dream trying to come true when it comes to music It's NYC 1964 and the infamous band is scheduled to be performing live on tv on the Ed Sullivan Show 4 girls have no money and no tickets to the show but they will go to any length just to meet them in person With the exception of Nancy Allen everyone else is unknown Undermining artistic integrity is what a journalist hopes to prove, another girl has a boyfriend who hates the band and sneaking off to see them, while the third girl hopes to take snapshots to further her photography career This turns into a fun adventure of these girls following their hearts during a pivotal cultural moment Draws the line between funny and pure fan obsession People go to hardcore extremes when it comes to their favorite musicians Everybody just wants a piece of the action no matter how crazy the journey gets Beetlemania is where it's at and this movie has an infectious energy with all involved thanks to Zemeckis and Speilberg It's all about exiting adolescence and entering adulthood after seeing their music icons We can all relate to being young and a little crazy
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
04/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Every scene has something new and creative. Every single scene. You don't see that on many movies, especially if they aren't Zemeckis movies. It's like a really good sitcom from the last century, except at the same time put inside really beautiful frames. Beatlemania and its era beautifully portrayed in a light, digestible film. A must-watch.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Despite the low budget of this film, seeing as how it was Robert Zemeckis' first movie — and Steven Spielberg's first produced film — Spielberg promised to step in if things ever got out of hand.
Written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the film pulls off an interesting paradox. It's a movie about the Beatles but we never see them. Instead, Pam Mitchell (Nancy Allen) and Rosie Petrofsky (Wendi Jo Sperber, forever in my heart; unlike the twentysomething teenagers in this movie, she lied about her age and she was only seventeen when she was hired) dream, plan and scheme to get to the Ed Sullivan Show to catch the first U.S. appearance of the lads from Liverpool.
Along with Grace Corrigan (Theresa Saldana), Larry (Marc McClure), Janis (Susan Kendall Newman, daughter of Paul) and Tony (Bobby Di Cicco), they're grabbed a limo and headed out to the Fab Four's hotel. Pam even ends up trapped up John's bed as the band hangs out in their room, as all manner of hijinks ensure, as this is a movie with a very simple premise and an episodic unfolded of the panic that happens when Beatlemania took over the country. And oh yeah — Eddie Deezen!
Di Cicco, Sperber, Allen and Deezen would all appear in Spielberg's next movie 1941, which was also written by Gale and Zemeckis. Sperber and McClure would also appear in another Spielberg, Gale and Zemeckis associated series: Back to the Future.
It's pretty astounding that twelves Beatles songs were cleared for this movie, which just didn't happen back in the late 70s. At the time, the rights were spread across numerous entities, which made it even more difficult to get all of the soundtrack approved.
I first saw this late at night on a UHF channel and ended up loving it way more than I thought that I would. It just works; seeing it again years later, it holds up.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
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