Powerful

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The Beatles are coming to America to perform on Ed Sullivan's show. In New Jersey, engaged Pam Mitchell (Nancy Allen), Grace Corrigan (Theresa Saldana) and Rosie Petrofsky (Wendie Jo Sperber) are eager to go. Janis Goldman (Susan Kendall Newman) intends to protest their bad music. Grace recruits Larry Dubois (Marc McClure) for the limo from his family funeral business. They are joined by irreverent delinquent Tony Smerko (Bobby Di Cicco). They arrive at the hotel surrounded by a mob of young girls. The group scatters as they try to sneak into the hotel. Rosie finds Beatles collector Richard Klaus (Eddie Deezen).It's a wild wacky time as the teens try to get to the seminal cultural event. The problem starts with the fact that not all of the six characters are friends. This disparate group is itching to come apart and that's exactly what they do. In fact, they scatter into six single individuals. The missing aspect of this wacky misadventure is friendship. The movie concentrates on the crazy hijinx but without the friendship, I don't care. The story could split the group but it needs to keep some of the kids together. The movie fails to deliver the relationships.

"I Wanna Hold Your Hand" is the hysterical story of young girls who want to see the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, and the lengths that they go to achieve their goal.Nancy Allen, Teresa Saldana, and the late Wendy Jo Sperber are the three crazed girls in this 1978 film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, who also helped write the script. The film also stars Bobby DiCicco, Eddie Deezen, and Marc McClure.The film covers the events of February 9, 1964, the day the Beatles made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Rosie (Sperber) is determined to get into the show and is constantly looking for phone booths whenever Murray the K is giving away tickets if you can answer questions such as, "Which Beatle is left-handed?" She winds up meeting Richard "Ringo" Klaus (Deezen) who is a nearly insane Beatles fanatic who has taken over a room in the hotel without the hotel's knowledge. Pam Mitchell (Allen) is engaged and rather disdainful of the whole thing, but gets swept up in the events; Grace (Saldana) hopes to start her photography career by getting backstage, but the guard wants a bribe. Janis Goldman plays a protester who thinks the Beatles are a corruptive force in the world of art."I Wanna Hold Your Hand" is heavy on slapstick, but much of the slapstick is very funny the way it's done. The best part of the movie for me is that all the things these girls do, many girls in New York City no doubt tried with as much conviction and passion. And the film captures perfectly the insanity that ruled the teen girl population of New York that day. The only thing not shown is how they screamed during the entire Sullivan show -- there is a dog act with no attendant screaming. Mitzi McCall and Charlie Brill could not hear one word of their skit which was overpowered by screams.On a sad note, two of the stars met with tragedy. Teresa Saldana was badly injured in a knife attack. She was able to resume her career and founded Victims for Victims, devoting much of her time to helping survivors of trauma. Wendy Jo Sperber died of cancer at the age of 47. Both of them, along with the rest of this fine cast, give wonderful performances.If you're a baby boomer, this is a great film for you to watch and relive the innocence of the time and the Beatle furor. If you're not, it's a fun, charming movie.

Anyone who lived through the early days of U.S. Beatlemania--as I did--should enjoy "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". The movie is a very vivid recreation of an outrageously hysterical event: The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964.The plot concerns several young women whose dream is to see The Beatles at Ed Sullivan's studio in New York. Most of the early part of the film deals with the fans attempting to break into the Beatles' hotel room, the second half shows the girls attempting to gain admission to Sullivan's show. There are some fairly slow spots about 3/4 through the film, but the climactic scenes about Ed Sullivan are very fresh and funny.The cast is fine, including Will Jordan with his on-target impersonation of Sullivan, and the actresses playing the fans (Nancy Allen, Wendie Jo Sperber, Theresa Saldana, etc.) are just wonderful. Nancy Allen's adventures in the Beatles' hotel room--with her cuddling Paul McCartney's bass guitar and "harvesting" hair from a hairbrush--are hilarious and absolutely priceless.Just about everything clicks in this funny, happy film. Whether you remember February 1964 or not, it's well worth seeing.

This takes places on February 8 1964 when the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. It's about 6 teenagers (4 girls, 2 boys) who want to see them for various reasons. Rosie (Wendie Jo Spreber) LOVES the Beatles; Janis (Susan Kendall Newman) hates them and wants to protest; Pam (Nancy Allen) is along for the ride and is getting married the next day; Grace (Theresa Saldana) is a reporter who wants an interview with them; Tony (Bobby DiCicco) is a hood and Larry (Marc McClure) drives them from NJ to NY to see them. Various complications occur.I'm way too young to remember back then (I was only 1!) but I heard this perfectly captures exactly what it was like back then with the hundreds of screaming girls trying to see the Beatles. The film is full of gags flying fast and furious. Not every one works and the film does have its dead spots (Allen being in their hotel room is kind of silly) but, all in all, this is lots of fun. The cast is young and appealing--Allen and Sperber especially are good. Also Will Jordan doing Ed Sullivan is more than a little amusing and it's always good to see Dick Miller (playing a police sergeant). Unfortunately Eddie Deezen is in this too and I find him completely annoying. Still, this is a must for Beatles fans and anyone who wants a good funny comedy. This was completely ignored when it came out but has since acquired a cult.Scenes to watch for: Jordan's opening talk to staff, a barbershop sequence (you'll know it), the concert sequence at the end (beautifully shot) and listen closely to Jordan's final line. Fast, funny and loads of fun."I want you to be prepared for excessive screaming, hysteria, hyperventilation, fainting, fits, seizures, spasmodic convulsions even attempted suicide--all perfectly normal. It merely means these youngsters are enjoying themselves."