Paul McCartney’s 7 Best Movie Appearances & Cameos

Paul McCartney has made just a handful of movie appearances and cameos in his 60-plus years as one of the world’s biggest pop stars. His earliest parts were in Beatles movies, naturally, and later on, his love of film would prompt him to take on writing and acting duties in his biggest solo movie showcase.

It’s indeed somewhat surprising that McCartney, an avowed film fan, hasn’t made more big-screen appearances. Of course, being a prolific musical artist, he hasn’t always had a lot of time to indulge in an acting hobby.

When McCartney has appeared in movies, he’s shown himself to possess a likable presence and a breezy charm, and a sunny sense of humor.

7

Eat The Rich (1987)

As Banquet Guest

Eat the Rich

Release Date

October 23, 1987

Runtime

90 minutes

Director

Peter Richardson

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  Ronald Allen

  Cmdr. Fortune

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Eat the Rich is a wild satire about a group of anarchists taking over a posh restaurant and surreptitiously serving human flesh to their high-class guests. The cast is filled with famous music figures in cameo roles, including Lemmy of Motorhead, Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, Bill Wyman of the Stones, and Jools Holland.

McCartney also makes an appearance in Eat the Rich, playing a character billed only as “Banquet Guest.” In his one scene, the tuxedo-wearing star is sitting among other well-dressed guests at a very elaborate event, when some of the movie’s signature anarchy breaks out.

Amid all the wacky mayhem, Banquet Guest is roughed up a little by uniformed staff. “I’m with the group,” he insists, possibly a Beatles joke, but it’s hard to tell. Eat the Rich was not well-reviewed and currently sits at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes.

6

Give My Regards To Broad Street (1984)

As Himself

Firmly established as a chart-topping solo star by 1984, McCartney felt ready to return to the big screen, again playing himself. With a script penned by the star, Give My Regards to Broad Street charts a day in the life of McCartney as he deals with pop star business.

Perhaps inspired by Hitchcock, or by Ringo’s magic ring in Help!, McCartney feels compelled to write in a MacGuffin in the form of some missing master tapes. Otherwise, the movie centers on McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney and pal Ringo Starr living the pop star life.

McCartney attempts to enliven his very loose story with dream sequences, but these flights of fancy land with a thud. Roger Ebert said in his one-star review that the film “is about as close as you can get to a non-movie, and the parts that do try something are the worst.”

The premise of Give My Regards to Broad Street may broadly resemble that of A Hard Day’s Night, but that’s where the similarities end. The earlier film is a giddy bit of fun centered on the Beatles’ unique personalities. McCartney’s 1984 flop is a meandering vanity project from a colossal pop star who could’ve benefited from someone telling him no.

The film grossed just $1.4 million on a budget of $9 million, and currently sits at 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.

5

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

As Himself

After following the guidance of Richard Lester on A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, the Beatles took the creative reins for their third film, collectively being credited as its writers, directors, and stars. By all accounts, McCartney was the main force behind the movie’s conception, though he seems reluctant to take credit.

Inspired by author Ken Kesey’s exploits with his Merry Pranksters aboard their repurposed school bus “Further,” Magical Mystery Tour promises a whimsical adventure starring the Beatles. What it delivers is so aimless and disappointing that McCartney felt compelled to go on television and apologize for the debacle.

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Magical Mystery Tour was released as a TV movie on BBC1, but the color film was broadcast in black-and-white, contributing to its dismal public reception. Its historical value is undeniable, however, as it features music-video-like clips of several Beatles classics, including “I Am the Walrus.”

4

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

As Uncle Jack

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards famously inspired Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. So when it came time for someone to play Jack’s father onscreen, Richards was the only logical choice.

Having cast a Rolling Stone as a relative of Jack Sparrow, Pirates producers felt they needed a Beatle for the next movie. Depp himself recruited McCartney, who agreed to sign on as Uncle Jack, the brother of Richards’ Captain Teague.

McCartney’s very brief appearance as an imprisoned Uncle Jack gives him time to sing a bit of the ancient Liverpool folk tune “Maggie May,” once covered by the Beatles, and to tell his nephew an old joke that he finds annoyingly familiar.

McCartney may look even more ridiculous than Richards in his pirate regalia, but he gives a better performance than his old rock-and-roll rival, showing off his strong comedic delivery, with some fun zingers as Jack Sparrow is dragged away to his cell.

3

Yellow Submarine (1968)

As Himself (Live-Action Segment Only)

Yellow Submarine

Release Date

November 13, 1968

Runtime

85 Minutes

Director

George Dunning, Robert Balser, Jack Stokes, Dennis Abey, Al Brodax

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A Hard Day’s Night and Help! may have succeeded in crossing the Beatles over to cinematic success, but the films did not fill the lads with a desire to keep shooting movies. Instead of another live-action film, their next release would be an animated one, for which they would shoot only a single tacked-on scene.

Yellow Submarine stars animated versions of the Beatles, given voice not by the real band, but by actors doing their best impersonations. McCartney and company only show up at the very end, in a contractually-mandated appearance, that sees them clowning in front of a black backdrop before leading the audience in an “All Together Now” sing-along.

Though the real Beatles had limited involvement in the film, Yellow Submarine is widely beloved, thanks to its fine music and artful animated style. It sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, just two percentage points behind A Hard Day’s Night.

2

Help! (1965)

As Himself

Help!

Release Date

July 29, 1965

Runtime

92 minutes

Director

Richard Lester

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Following A Hard Day’s Night was never going to be easy. Richard Lester is back in the director’s chair for Help!, there’s a bigger budget, and there’s almost a plot. But The Beatles’ second cinematic sojourn was given a lukewarm reception by critics, relative to the wild enthusiasm for their 1964 classic.

Help! sees the Fab Four once again playing themselves, in a wacky adventure rendered in dizzying style by Lester. The whisper-thin plot centers on Ringo Starr’s magic ring, and efforts to protect him from those who want to steal the trinket, which has become stuck on his finger.

McCartney’s big scene sees him being accidentally reduced in size by a shrinking solution meant to help Starr get the ring off. The scene was pulled off using a giant ashtray and boot, with McCartney wearing nothing but a discarded chewing gum wrapper.

Help! may not have been as big as A Hard Day’s Night, because nothing could be, but it did well enough at the box office, grossing $12 million on a budget of $1.5 million. It now sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

1

A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

As Himself

Studio

Criterion Collection (Direct)

Run Time

1 hour 27 minutes

It may have been released all the way back in 1964, but A Hard Day’s Night still feels incredibly fresh and retains its power to thrill and delight. It’s a great showcase for the Beatles’ music, and their zany Goon Show-influenced sense of humor while providing a fascinating glimpse of Beatlemania at its height.

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McCartney and his bandmates play themselves as they engage in cheeky antics during the 36 hours leading up to a television appearance. What could’ve been a silly bit of promotion becomes, in the hands of director Richard Lester, a cinematic landmark.

McCartney’s easy charm is on full display alongside the dry wit of George Harrison, the spiky sarcasm of John Lennon, and the whimsical oddness of Ringo Starr. Weirdly, Lester gives McCartney a fictional grandfather, played by popular British comedic actor Wilfrid Brambell, who becomes the lads’ happy accomplice as they romp about London.

Lester’s movie subtly pokes fun at the frenzy around the Beatles, while generating its own mischievous electricity. The director unleashes so many fresh cinematic tricks that critic Andrew Sarris famously called A Hard Day’s Night “the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals.” Roger Ebert gave it a spot on his Great Movies list.