A Hard Day's NightMovie Reviews

Gifts + Promos

Fandango Gift Card

Give the gift of movies with Fandango Bucks Gift Certificates! Design your own gift card, or choose from our collection.

Avengers Gift Cards

Superhero fans! Don’t miss out on these Limited Edition Avengers gift cards!

Need Help?
Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 95 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Boston Globe | Jay Carr

    In a crisply restored print, it's as joyous as ever. We loved them - yeah, yeah, yeah. Now we can love them all over again. Read full review

  • 100
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    It doesn't matter how many times you see these images. They're always exciting. Read full review

  • 100
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    As joyously energetic now as the day it arrived. Read full review

  • 100
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    It's inspired fun. Read full review

  • 100
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    It enables us to recapture exactly the delightful sensations felt all those years ago when we and the world were young and exciting together. Read full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    They're like gods at play, paragons of pure delight, as they mock and feign their way through a universe of mere mortals. To see the movie again is to realize that they were never entirely of this earth and that they never will be. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    No movie has had a greater impact on the way people looked. The music of course is immortal. Read full review

  • 90
    Washington Post |

    Still a marvel of verve and bone-dry wit, the movie has been treated kindly by time. Read full review

  • 80
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    You wanna feel all right? This is the holiday movie that will do it. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    A wacky, offbeat piece of filming, charged with vitality, and inventiveness by director Dick Lester. Read full review

View more reviews for A Hard Day's Night on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Beatles classic is Fab-ulous, but expect lots of smoking.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this is a great way to introduce kids to The Beatles -- or just enjoy their glory days together as a family. Aside from Paul's naughty grandfather, all that heavy smoking typical of the era, and some brief drug-related humor (that kids may miss entirely), there's very little iffy content here, so just focus on singing along with the soundtrack.
  • Families can talk about crazed Beatles fans. Are kids surprised to see teens react that way to a band? Are there stars or artists who draw the same reaction today? How has the Internet changed how fans react and communicate with their idols?
  • Families can also talk about all the smoking. Did it represent the same thing as their floppy hair did? How has smoking in the media changed since this movie came out? (Sad but worth mentioning -- George Harrison attributed the throat cancer that killed him in 2001 to his decades of heavy smoking.)
  • What did you think about the style of this rock band movie? Do they still make band movies like this today? Would you rather see your favorite bands have a little fun with their fame or make a serious documentary about their life and work?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true2 Educational value: Sure to rope in new Beatles fans and teach kids about early rock 'n' roll and the influence of the band on every other that followed.
  • message true1 Positive messages: By keeping things light and silly, fame isn't ever taken too seriously here, despite all the screaming, running fans. A few nice messages in the love songs, like "Money Can't Buy Me Love."
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: The Fab Four scoff at some of their responsibilities -- answering fan mail can wait until after the party -- but come together in the end for the show. Paul's grandfather is a bit of a cad -- gambling, making bawdy jokes, trying to swindle women, running from the police -- but everyone remains respectful of him. Also, crazed female fans race after the Beatles and cry and scream in the concert hall.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence and scariness: Many fans trip while chasing The Beatles and some others look faint in the audience later. A car is stolen, a dove is squished in a man's sleeve, a woman falls down a hole and is immediately rescued, some running from the police and talk of the mean things they can do to prisoners.
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: A few bawdy jokes with a mention of an orgy and that Paul's grandpa is "sex obsessed."
  • language false1 Language: One "damn."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: This movie is of course meant to sell the album as well. There are also brief glimpses of what looks like a Pepsi bottle and someone is reading a Mad magazine book.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots and lots of smoking by everyone. Brief drug-related humor (John pretends to snort cocaine from the top of his Pepsi bottle). Plus lots of drinking at a dance club.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

A Hard Day's Night Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

Must Go! 8 fan reviews

Critics say

Must Go! See all critic reviews

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook