All you need is love: How to stream “Across the Universe,” the Beatles‑inspired musical on Kanopy
I’m so excited about February's #BigMovieWatch because it’s one of my favorite movies that features the Beatles, one of my favorite bands. From Feb. 9-23, stream Across the Universe (2007) on Kanopy for free with your library card. 🪪
Watch the trailer:
With an ensemble cast starring Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson, Bono, Salma Hayek, James Urbaniak, and many others, Across the Universe is a musical drama full of imagination. Director Julie Taymore, and writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais use classic songs from the Beatles to tell the story of Jude and Lucy’s whirlwind magical romance and it's just in time for Valentine’s Day. ❤️❤️❤️
With hits like “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” the movie follows Jude Feeney in the 1960s as he moves from Liverpool, UK to the U.S., and meets Max Carrigan at Princeton who also introduces him to his younger sister, Lucy Carrigan. Jude and Max move to Greenwich Village in New York City and are eventually joined by Lucy. Jude is an artist, Max is having a spiritual awakening and Lucy is having a political one while the three make themselves at home with landlord, Sadie (a reference to another Beatles song, “Sexy Sadie”), who also sings on the side. Taking place during the Vietnam War, the movie uses songs like “Helter Skelter,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Let It Be,” and “Revolution” to paint a picture of the political strain society was experiencing and the effect the war had on Americans. As the trio navigate the civil rights movement and protests of the war, they embark on a journey of self-discovery. By adding more greats such as “Dear Prudence,” “Blackbird,” “Hey Jude,” and “All You Need Is Love,” we get a glimpse of hope for our main characters as they “Come Together.”
🎬 About the film
Title: Across the Universe
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood & Jim Sturgess
Duration: 2hr 13min
Synopsis: An original musical film, Across the Universe is a love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s, amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, the struggle for free speech and civil rights, mind exploration, and rock ‘n roll. At once gritty, whimsical, and highly theatrical, the story moves from high schools and universities in Massachusetts, Princeton, and Ohio to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Detroit riots, the killing fields of Vietnam, and the dockyards of Liverpool. Combining live action with painted and three-dimensional animation, Across the Universe features an array of Beatles songs that have come to define the period.
📺 How to watch
Where: Stream it ticket-free on Kanopy
When: Feb. 9-23, 2026
Cost: Free—just sign in with a library card from a participating institution!*
RELATED READ: How to get started streaming films for free on Kanopy
📚 Libby read-alikes for Across the Universe
Tune In
by Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn is one of the world’s top Beatles historians and Tune In is the first volume in his biographical trilogy, All These Years. The book follows the band from their early childhood to the final moments before they break out into worldwide fame in 1962. With exclusive archival access, Lewisohn shows us the most uncommonly known parts of the world’s most famous band.
John & Paul
by Ian Leslie
Two of the greatest artists and musicians of all time just so happened to get their start in the same band. This New York Times bestseller gives us a detailed account of one of the world’s most prolific partnerships between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. In John & Paul, we see the complicated and complex relationship between the two men and how this dynamic comes out in their music, but also leads them to worldwide renown.
🎬 Looking for what to watch next?
Beatles: How the Beatles Changed the World (2017)
1hr 49min
Featuring footage of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Star
Arguably the best band of all time, there is no doubt that the Beatles changed the world and have their names in many history books. They had a cultural, social, spiritual, and political impact on society globally. Their peaceful revolution is depicted in this documentary that begins with their initial burst into stardom in 1962 and features archival footage of English band.
The Beatles and India (2021)
1hr 35min
Featuring footage of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Star
In February 1968, exactly 58 years ago, the Beatles embarked to a retreat in northern India to study Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It’s during this visit that they denounced drugs, wrote “Dear Prudence” for Mia Farrow’s sister, and is the last time all four of the Beatles traveled together. This documentary follows the band as they travel to the retreat with recordings, photos, and interviews with eyewitness accounts.
Rent (2005)
2hr 15min
Features Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel, Rosario Dawson, and Taye Diggs
In this film adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera, La Boheme, and Jonathan Larson’s 1996 Broadway musical of the same name, we see a rock musical set in New York City’s East Village in 1989. Aspiring filmmaker Mark and his group of rag-tag friends are scraping by just to pay their rent. With eviction notices looming, these friends use artistic protest and communal support to get through poverty, addiction, and the AIDS epidemic. Winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Obie Award, and four Tony Awards, this movie is a musical work of art.
As the Beatles say, all you need is love—and a library card. Happy watching!
*Available to Kanopy users in the U.S. and Canada. Can’t access Kanopy? Your library may not offer the Kanopy service.
RELATED READ: Kanopy’s most-watched films of 2025
Published Feb 10, 2026
Gabriela Rodriguez-Johnson
Gabriela Rodriguez-Johnson is an account manager at Libby. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She enjoys all forms of media from music, movies/television, and most importantly, books. Her favorite genres are mysteries, science fiction, dystopian futuristic, and Victorian/Victorian Gothic novels. She can typically be found consuming some form of each of these while curled up next to her four cats and dog.