RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
100 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:71

Fresh:71

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: A Hard Day's Night, despite its age, is still a delight to watch and has proven itself to be a rock-and-roll movie classic.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Television

Synopsis: A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, nominated for two Academy Awards and featuring the Beatles in their feature film debut, is one of the greatest rock-and-roll comedy adventures ever. The film has a fully... A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, nominated for two Academy Awards and featuring the Beatles in their feature film debut, is one of the greatest rock-and-roll comedy adventures ever. The film has a fully restored negative and digitally restored soundtrack.

The year is 1964 and four young lads from Liverpool are about to change the world – if only the madcap world will let them out of their hotel room. Richard Lester's boldly contemporary rock n' roll comedy unleashes the fledgling Beatles into a maelstrom of screaming fans, paranoid producers, rabid press and troublesome family members, and reveals the secret of their survival and success: an insatiable lust for mischief and a life-affirming addiction to joy.

The film takes on the just-left-of-reality style of a mock-documentary, following "a day in the life" of John, Paul, George and Ringo as fame takes them by storm. On their way from Liverpool to a London television stage, they must evade a teenage mob, outwit a press conference, answer fan mail and give one of their trademark, faint-inducing performances. But even this manic schedule gets interrupted as Paul has to oversee the shenanigans of his irrepressible grandfather (WILFRID BRAMBELL), a "real mixer" whose love of dissension threatens to break the band apart. Soon John and grandfather are butting heads, George is considering a modeling career and Ringo goes missing in the streets of London.

Throughout it all, witty one-liners, classic pop songs and world-class charm build up to happy-go-lucky moments of liberation that capture the sheer exuberance, innocence and rock n’ roll spirit of four young men trying to make their own rules in a world determined to confine them. [More]

Starring: Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison

Starring: Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Wilfred Brambell, Norman Rossington, Victor Spinetti, John Junkin, Anna Quayle, Kenneth Haigh, Richard Vernon, Eddie Malin

Director: Richard Lester

Director: Richard Lester
Screenwriter: Alun Owen
Producer: Walter Shenson
Studio: Miramax Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for A Hard Day's Night

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

For fans this is a chance to enjoy The Beatles' legendary music and charisma with unprecedented clarity.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 27 2009 04:46 PM

Channel 4 Film

tomato

Geoff Andrew

The mop-tops are likeably relaxed, with Lennon offering a few welcome moments of his dry, acerbic wit.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2006 04:22 AM

Time Out

tomato
5/5

Rich Cline

One of the most influential films of the past 40 years gets the spit and polish for a reissue -- and it still hasn't aged at all.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 10 2001 06:36 PM

Shadows on the Wall

tomato
4/5

George Perry

Richard Lester's innovative film, the Beatles' debut feature, is a timewarp memento of that brief 1963-4 phase in their history known as Beatlemania.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 17 2001 02:23 PM

BBC

tomato
5/5

Bob McCabe

Great band, great music, great film. Not only that, it remains a fascinating portrait of Britain on the cusp of change.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 17 2001 02:22 PM

Empire Magazine

tomato
5/5

Jim Lane

Director Richard Lester and writer Alun Owen (who has never gotten the credit he deserves) treat us to a fanciful day in the life of the Beatles, filmed in 1964 at (they thought) the peak of the Fab Four’s popularity.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:17 AM

Sacramento News & Review

tomato

Beth Accomando

The film moves with such joy, humor and fluidity that you can't help getting swept up in the frenzied action.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Feb., 03 2008 12:28 PM

KPBS.org

tomato

Don Druker

American-born director Richard Lester serves up a helping of what, on this side of the pond, we came to think of as kicky, mod British filmmaking.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2007 10:19 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato
B-

Dennis Schwartz

It's by no stretch of the imagination a good film, but it gets over as a curio and a landmark in modern Western culture.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 29 2005 07:41 PM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

tomato
5/5

Ken Hanke

See it for no other reason than it's all too rare you can spend 87 minutes smiling and feeling positive about life.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 29 2004 07:40 PM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

tomato
5/5

Jurgen Fauth

That Lester and the Beatles got away with the irreverent and superb Hard Day's Night is, by today's standards, a miracle.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 15 2003 02:02 PM

About.com

tomato
4/4

Jeffrey Westhoff

The cinema has had many landmarks, but few have been as entertaining.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 19 2003 03:43 PM

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

tomato
4/5

Bosley Crowther

It's a fine conglomeration of madcap clowning in the old Marx Brothers' style, and it is done with such a dazzling use of camera that it tickles the intellect and electrifies the nerves.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:17 PM

New York Times

tomato

Marjorie Baumgarten

The kind of timeless artifact that, decades after its making, still hits the senses like a burst of fresh air.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 10 2003 08:52 AM

Austin Chronicle

tomato
5/5

Brad Laidman

Everything about this movie is a smile.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 08 2002 08:41 AM

Film Threat

tomato
92/100

Mike Gower

The result still seems fresh and different decades later.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 30 2002 08:29 AM

Apollo Guide

tomato
A

Philip Martin

...if you don’t like the Beatles, you don’t like rock ’n’ roll. And if you don’t like A Hard Day’s Night, you don’t like movies.

Full Review Source: | comment 2 Comments | Oct., 30 2002 12:03 PM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

tomato
3.5/4

Mike McGranaghan

Captures the Beatles when they still looked like they were having fun, back before drugs and psychedelia and Yoko Ono took effect.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2002 09:59 AM

Aisle Seat

tomato
3/4

Kevin N. Laforest

A breezy slice of silliness that pretty much has the Beatles playing themselves.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 29 2002 10:35 AM

Montreal Film Journal

tomato
4/4

Margaret A. McGurk

A love letter to innocence and euphoria and the sheer lifting joy of great pop music.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 15 2002 08:27 AM

Cincinnati Enquirer

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for A Hard Day's Night

September 12, 2007: Total Recall: Across the Universe And The Beatles On Film
This week, Across the Universe hits theaters. Julie Taymor's film, starring Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess as a young couple in the midst of the heady, chaotic 1960s,... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
63
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
42
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
39
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
39
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
28
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
25
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
21
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
13
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • A Hard Day's Night at Rotten Tomatoes
  • A Hard Day's Night at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.