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I Wanna Hold Your Hand

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Comedy · Music · 1978

If they miss The Beatles' first appearance in the U.S.A., they will hate themselves for the rest of their lives - so four young girls from New Jersey set off even though they don't have tickets for the show! The journey is full of surprises and misfortunes but the young ladies are determined to reach their idols.

Movie details

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

“Some girls will do anything to meet their idols.”

1978 Comedy · Music 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

If they miss The Beatles' first appearance in the U.S.A., they will hate themselves for the rest of their lives - so four young girls from New Jersey set off even though they don't have tickets for the show! The journey is full of surprises and misfortunes but the young ladies are determined to reach their idols.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over I Wanna Hold Your Hand?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Zemeckis

Written by

Bob Gale · Robert Zemeckis

Nancy Allen

Nancy Allen

Pam Mitchell

Bobby Di Cicco

Bobby Di Cicco

Tony Smerko

Marc McClure

Marc McClure

Larry Dubois

Susan Kendall Newman

Susan Kendall Newman

Janis Goldman

Theresa Saldana

Theresa Saldana

Grace Corrigan

Wendie Jo Sperber

Wendie Jo Sperber

Rosie Petrofsky

Eddie Deezen

Eddie Deezen

Richard 'Ringo' Klaus

Court is in session

Put I Wanna Hold Your Hand on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.