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Parents' Guide to

The Beatles: Get Back

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Smoking, drinking, extraordinary art in Beatles docuseries.

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The Beatles: Get Back Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Robert L.
Robert L. Adult
October 21, 2022
age 10+

Great Documentary

Great documentary. I recommend for children and adults above 10 years old.
reviewgoddess
reviewgoddess Adult
August 26, 2022
age 12+

Wonderful documentary

Before I go into writing this review, I want to add that I still can not fathom the fact there’s finally footage of this specific Beatles era. It’s amazing. It’s hard for me to determine what ages should be ok to watch this. I know lots of teens nowadays love some Beatles, and I don’t blame them. I should mention some of the foul language that’s said and smoking/drug use is a thing to look out for when letting children watch. However, that’s to be expected when it’s four adult men… in 1969-1970. It’s a fun little documentary to enjoy.
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What's the Story?

In the waning years of The Beatles, the band broke a several-year ban on live performances with a public concert on a rooftop to be held January 30, 1969. Before the show, The Beatles convened rehearsals in a massive studio in England with an eye to writing and rehearsing at least 14 new songs to perform at the live show (which resulted in the album Let It Be), and allowed film cameras to capture the rehearsals as part of a planned TV documentary (which resulted in the movie Let It Be). More than 50 years later, THE BEATLES: GET BACK, directed by Peter Jackson, shows fans exactly how the biggest band in the world came together to sing, noodle around on their instruments, argue, break up, and ultimately stick resentfully together for two more albums.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (6 ):

In Peter Jackson's hands, this three-part documentary is too long and winding for all but the biggest Beatles fans, but it's also fascinating, funny, and as sad as watching a marriage implode. The numbing length, all 7 hours and 48 minutes of it, is perhaps not surprising from a guy who managed to turn 304-page book The Hobbit into a three-part film series, but it's daunting nonetheless to those who aren't already fervent Beatles lovers. Going into Get Back with some background on the band is also wise: Viewers who know that John Lennon and Yoko Ono are struggling with a heroin addiction can better understand Lennon's icy vibe and Ono's blank stare, while those who understand that George Harrison came to the rehearsals inspired by recent jam sessions with American musicians can more easily grasp the frustration that ultimately leads to his quitting the band, live and on film (he was persuaded to return, yet the band broke up a year later, anyway).

But even those who come to Get Back without an understanding of the underlying tensions can enjoy watching the world's most famous musicians -- young, faces unlined, impossibly cool in '60s fashions -- breathe life into now-legendary songs like "Don't Let Me Down." Gathered together in a circle in the cavernous space they've set up, they try out guitar chords and harmonies, change up lyrics, hoot at or approve each other's contributions. It's incredible watching a classic song be born, and Get Back looks and sounds great, too: Under Jackson's masterful guidance, the original 16mm footage has been enhanced and blown up to the proper aspect ratio for widescreen movies; the focus and colors sparkle and we can see every detail. The soundtrack, too, has been remastered with advanced audio technology that make it possible to hear every voice even when everyone's talking at once, and renders the Beatles famous sound, even when they're just screwing around, almost as beautiful as it is on their albums. It all adds up to a sensory experience that's simply a delight, even if it takes its time concluding.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the picture Get Back paints of a famous band. Did you learn new things about The Beatles by watching? Did you learn anything that surprised you? Dismayed you? Gave you a different viewpoint on a band that broke up more than 50 years ago?

  • At the time this footage was filmed, it was unusual to allow cameras access to private moments with bands/celebrities. How has media attention to stars changed since the time period presented here? How different is the footage in Get Back when compared to reality shows starring bands or celebrities?

  • Documentaries usually purport to show the truth, but the very presence of cameras and recording equipment changes what the people being recorded are willing to do and say. How close can documentaries get to the real truth? How much truth do you think Get Back manages to capture?

TV Details

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