Venue:
Landmark Cinema, Kanata, ON
Date: 19/02/2026
A one night only cinematic experience (streaming on Prime next week), the screening was more or less sold out.
In brief, roughly the story of Macca’s progress from the end of one band to the end of another. Concurrently dealing with the break up with his best friend until the devastating final end of that relationship. Scotland features throughout
It’s a familiar story, but beautifully told. Thankfully no talking heads, but a large range of audio narrators including present day Macca himself, Linda, Wings members, his kids and various concurrent musicians and musical industry figures.
I gasped at some of the archive footage and there were also quite a few laughs during the almost 2 hour duration. Macca was a genial off screen presence and perhaps more open than usual, but some of his weaknesses were hinted at during the film. If you are not a McCartney devotee it won’t change your mind, but for those of us with ultimate taste an extremely enjoyable evening. Director Morgan Neville did an excellent job making it a generally riveting experience. Recommended.
The audience:
It was dark, couldn’t see
It made me think..
It’s one hell of a story
I went to see this last night and was going to put a review up today. I couldn’t have put it any better – a familiar but still amazing story, beautifully told. I thought it was heart-warming to hear Sean Lennon’ s contribution. And Paul and Linda is surely one of the most authentic love stories of our time. What the Beckhams would give for such authenticity.
Warmly recommended by me too.
I saw it last night too, a sold out audience. Lots of gentle laughs. I agree that Sean was a lovely contributor- he’s a massive fan isn’t he…?
Maybe a few more thoughts later. Recommend, anyway.
I have huge respect for Macca so I’ll give it a look when I come across it. Wings were a great band too. Having a good lead guitarist and drummer liberated him to rock out.
Well they had 5 different drummers in 8 years (inc Macca himself), and likewise 4 lead guitarists, dealt with in the film
I feel like the message was: Joe English was the best one.
Or maybe Geoff Britton?
Yep. Got them mixed up.
Easy to do, also as mentioned
I wasn’t aware of this, but will definitely watch it, being a fan of all things Fab. Speaking of which I’ve finally got round to reading Philip Norman’s biography of John Lennon. It was a long but thoroughly engaging read from which I thought McCartney emerged unexpectedly well, given Norman’s earlier predilection for portraying him as a bit-part player. It was a balanced picture of Lennon too, but seemed a tad generous to Yoko, no doubt facilitated by her sanctioning of Norman as Lennon’s biographer. Seems she fell out with him in the end though, believing he had been ‘too mean’ to John.
I also went to see this here in Dumfries in our wee film theatre which was pretty well full. I thoroughly enjoyed it and liked the narration format. I hadn’t previously seen the part where Mike McCartney was being asked about the ‘Paul is dead’ story. Looking quite pissed of with the subject matter, when asked ‘when did you last see Paul?’ he replied ‘at his funeral’.
I have just sent an email to my old chum Mike (Geacher in the Afterwordworld) who comes from and lives in Campbeltown. I would imagine that he also saw the film locally last night. Still awaiting his comments (are you lurking Geacher?).
It was intriguing how deeply the film was front loaded with the Beatles collapse. It felt like he went in deeper and harder on the others than he’s done in the past. The fluid chronology throughout meant we zoomed back and forth, which personally I thought worked quite well, in creating a more impressionistic view of Wings than previously seen. The heavy Beatles presence throughout also underlined the pressure of living up to the Fabs, the surely maddening constant questions and pressures to reform.
Obviously, we understand that making Wings work on its own terms was always more than just achieving commercial and critical success (the latter was certainly thin on the ground throughout the decade)but, it was a personal validation of himself outside the Beatles bubble.
The collaging of archive film clips, Macca-related or not, to underline a point or make a quick visual gag is divisive. My friend found it irritating, I quite liked it. The Atmos mixes were superb – I was in a smallish Berlin cinema and some of the songs absolutely roared, such as the 1976 live ‘Silly Love Songs’.
There was a stronger Linda narrative here too, complete with a characteristically bullish, if a tad overwrought thoughts from Stella about Linda’s fashion sense. (I think she always looked great). She came across as a more complex, rounded character than in previous docs. He makes it clear how much aggro she got which by today’s standards is pretty mind boggling. Sean’s emollient thoughts were also sweet, and well placed, especially when the film lingered on the nastiness between John and Paul. It was nice to hear Sean praising the almighty ‘Ram’
The film’s clear that after London Town, the Juber/Hollis iteration of the band is more or less a perfunctory final act, with little creative impetus and Neville takes the line that Japan was perhaps a subconscious act of sabotage. Nothing could have prepared for the tragedy of December 1980 though which pretty much seals the deal. Again, there’s a sense that Paul is telling this story for the last time in this film and this less than rosy view of the past than he usually gives, is really the truth.
It might be gracious of Paul to have allowed Denny’s words to bring Wings to a close – certainly there was a lot of bad blood between them in the early 1980s as a broke Laine and his then partner sold all manner of tattle and scuttle to the Sun. , Here, he comes across like the loyal lieutenant he was, and things like his co authorship of Mull of Kintyre get recognised. The sidemen’s grumbles, like Henry McCullough’s departure or visible chagrin at ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ are also given space
We see photos of colourful diary pages, archive notes and quirky little animations, which look like how Paul talks. Speaking of, we got a short bonus interview with Paul after the film with a cheery Morgan Neville. I know a few people were quite taken aback with Paul’s apparent frailty and slight slowness – I was – but the man is 83. Even having seen the life he’s led more minutely documented than any other 20th century figure, I wonder what goes through his mind when he sees a film like this. For me, as it drew to a close, I was surprised there seemed to be something in my eye. I wonder if he felt the same
Excellent overview, I agree with most. I decided to exit during the credits to leave Paul at 38 about to start on the next phase of his career
Not sure I can add much. This film, for me, explains a lot about what Wings were actually all about. He’d struck gold with The Beatles & his partnership with John, but had no idea that the chemistry was a once in a lifetime (or more) thing. He thought that any collaboration would produce results, but also secretly had suspicions that it wouldn’t. In any case he proved that he could come up with the goods & via the formidable Wings over America band, he showed everyone. The arc of the story with Mull of Kintyre taking him back to the start was a great touch, and with everything else being a prolonged end until John’s untimely demise put a full stop and caused the reset button to be pushed.
I had to leave during the end interview to have a cry. He reminded me of my dad, just before he died at the same age. Old age seems to have struck him hard and fast.
Wings Over America was one of the first Beatle related albums I ever heard, my dad taped it from a guy at his workplace. I like it, but struggle a bit with his hoarse vocals, feels like the start of their deterioration.
Sorry about your dad. My current father in law is the same age, lost his wife a few years ago. He is sprightly, but showing increasing signs of frailty.
I’m sorry Leffe, that must have been a difficult moment.
I know – it hit hard seeing present day Paul. I don’t know if that’s because of the immediate contrast with the familiar, youthful Macca in whose company we’d spent the last two hours or just that I’ve not seen any interviews with him in some years but I was unreasonably upset seeing him old and frail like that.
Thanks folks. It’s fine for me to cry over it, I’m not consumed with grief after a year, but bits of grief bounce back from time to time. It’s just the way of life, isn’t it? In this case, Dad was a muso and specifically a fan of Macca, especially post-fabs.
I didn’t really cry too much when my dad died until about a year later when I saw Field of Dreams, can hit you when you least expect it.
I can still get triggered by things which remind me of my dad. Next year I’ll be older than he was when he died which is weird.
A contestant on a TV quiz show a year or so ago had my dad’s accent and that set me off. My dad died 13 years ago.
While searching for something I’d misplaced I came across my dad’s sunglasses. It was his birthday, he would’ve been 96. I took a selfie wearing them and that’s my AW profile picture.
Very cool.
Very much looking forward to this on Prime, although I wish I’d have known it was in the cinema yesterday. I recently read the accompanying book which came out at the end of last year. Wings-The Story of a Band on the Run was an excellent read, and although I thought I knew a lot about McCartney in the 70s, there was quite a lot of new information to me.
One thing that stood out, which I suppose will come across in the documentary, is McCartney’s work ethic. He just couldn’t sit still, and was either composing, recording, or performing.
The range and variety of his work is unprecedented, and we were all lucky to be around at the same time as this genius, a word that must surely apply to a very select few.
I enjoyed it, though my overwhelming emotion was one of sadness. He was lost, wasn’t he, despite having the ever loyal Linda by his side, and all those children.
I noticed Venus And Mars was the only album not mentioned and no-one discussed Linda’s songwriting ability. She got a good number of credits early on.
I think London Town wasn’t mentioned either, apparently her song writing credits were generally a move to get royalties for the family with Paul locked up in legal battles with the other Fabs. Once that was settled she didn’t get them any more (end of 74 I think). Not sure he was necessarily lost, perhaps initially but things changed with huge US success in particular and the Wings Over America tour
London Town was represented visually. Yes. That tour must have made him very happy.
Not naysaying Linda’s contribution, but was there not some issue with Northern Songs at the time. The additional credit of L. McCartney (or Ono) stopped the songs being in the Lennon- McCartney/ Northern Songs catalogue
They could have touched on it somewhere in the two hours and six minutes.
I watched it last night and enjoyed it, while it didn’t shake my opinion that neither Lennon nor McCartney created anything outside the Beatles that I would trade for any of, oh, let’s say, my top 50 Fabs songs. I was surprised by how much of the slagging off he (and Linda) received was included, so much that it was essentially the running theme along with his feelings of dislocation. Perhaps there was an air of, ‘Needless to say, I had the last laugh’. What was abundantly clear, if we hadn’t already known, was that it isn’t easy being Paul McCartney.
I think Maybe I’m Amazed could be his greatest song. Instant Karma by John is right up there too for me
Both written and recorded when The Beatles were technically still in existence.
Nonetheless released solo. I’ll bow to Dai and Slotbadger and acknowledge the greatness of Maybe I’m Amazed.
Not just released solo Macca plays everything on it
Maybe I’m Amazed is just about everything that’s exceptional about Paul McCartney, in one song
I agree. The point I was making is that their songwriting never matched the quality of those written when they were Beatles.
Well that’s pretty much impossible, but if McCartney’s career had started in 1970 it would still have been a damn good one
I saw the Yesterday film (the one about there being no Beatles) and I don’t recall McCartney being mentioned as a noted solo artist.
Perhaps Macca having a fab solo career in that universe would have pleased him enough to agree to a cameo appearance?
I spoke to one of the people that runs the National Trust tour of his childhood home in Liverpool last year. He said that despite appearances Paul found his visit (filmed by James Corden) to be very intense emotionally and he won’t be back. Also, he doesn’t go to funerals – he’d just rather not.
*Alan Partridge alert*
I prefer# solo McCartney to the Beatles. I will definitely be seeng this.
#well, I listen to his stuff more than the F4 nowadays at any rate.
Lefsetz
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2026/03/01/man-on-the-run/
I watched it last night and thought it was excellent. Just disappointed about the lack of cover age of London Town my favourite Wings album.
Unless I nodded off, I don’t recall Red Rose Speedway being mentioned.
After the relative commercial failings of Wild Life, EMI needed some convincing that the next album be a double. Despite protest (and an offer for reduced royalty), EMI won through and a single disc it was.
Might just be another kick that had Macca on the run.
I’m not a fan of Macca’s catalogue overall. But I do love the changes he brings into songs.
I liked the bit in the documentary where Wings go on their first, unannounced, tour of British universities, just rocking up at a college and asking to play. They charged 50p entrance, and so ended up with lots of heavy bags of 50p coins. Hilarious. Did Macca have to drive to the nearest branch of Barclays the morning after each gig and pay all those 50p’s into his savings account, asking a harrassed bank clerk to add them all up?