“What do I do now?” Paul McCartney asked himself when the Beatles broke up. Man on the Run looks at how he reinvented himself and his lifestyle post-Beatles.
At 27 years old, McCartney basically disappeared from the public and retreated to his farmhouse in Scotland. He was a lost soul. Depressed and turning to alcohol, he and his wife Linda lived a natural life, even becoming vegetarian.
In the beginning, McCartney was vilified for being the one who broke up the “fab four,” but in reality it was John Lennon who wanted to quit. John and Paul grew apart and they ended up each writing their own music, but they will always be known as Beatles.
For Paul, writing songs was the “ultimate therapy,” he admits in this new film. He states that he was “on my own for the first time,” professionally. Now what was he going to do? His first solo album celebrated “ordinary life,” as he and Linda were content living their natural life with their kids.
The couple joined together professionally and started Wings, with her on keyboards and adding background vocals. The band started from scratch, or as Paul says, at “square one.” Their first bus tour, “Wings over Europe,” included all the band members with their children. It was back to basics and a far cry from the way he traveled when he was a Beatle, but he loved it. Fans of McCartney will undoubtedly be surprised at just how basic the tour was and how the band started out.
Things were unfolding slowly until the hit “Band on the Run,” which Paul describes as being all “about freedom.”
Then, another blow happened when half the band quit, leaving just Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine (who had formed The Moody Blues). They regrouped into a second version of Wings, and moved onto Wings over the World, then Wings over America tours. In 1979, ten years after the breakup of the Beatles, Wings performed their last show. They officially disbanded in 1981.
But Paul was not out of the spotlight. Entering Japan in 1980, he was nabbed with marijuana and put in jail. “I was an idiot,” McCartney states.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon reunited, but not on stage. “One of the great blessings is that we made up,” he says. They decided to keep their friendship personal, and not to appear onstage together again.
Man on the Run is an interesting look at how Paul McCartney reinvented himself, professionally and personally, after the Beatles. It is rated R for language (and drugs). It premieres in theaters February 19, 2026 for a one day global event before being able to stream. Tickets are now available.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
