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by Willie Waffle

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The U.S. vs. John Lennon

Directors David Leaf and John Scheinfeld have a great idea to document and tell the story of John Lennon’s politically and maliciously motivated deportation battle in the 1970’s, but they don’t spend enough time on the main part of the story for us to truly appreciate every aspect of it. 

Leaf and Scheinfeld wonderfully start out showing how Lennon and the rest of The Beatles transformed from happy-go-lucky mop top singers in a band to activists who wanted to help support causes they believed in, as well as featuring other major players in the era’s history.  The structure the directors choose to show us a defining moment in Lennon’s life, then going back and giving the audience the context of what is happening in the world in the late 60’s up through those turbulent times for Lennon in the 70’s is a good one to establish the background some younger audience members might need to understand it all, and provides a jumping off point when they are ready to talk about the case.  However, the movie becomes all background and very little focus on the main story.

I think the title suggests we are going to get a movie about this epic deportation battle, but Leaf and Scheinfeld only touch on the basics, after spending almost an hour setting up the background.  Lennon’s hearings, legal maneuverings and the give and take between his side and the U.S. Government must be more complicated than what we see on screen, or else it doesn’t justify an entire movie (maybe an hour long special on VH1, where I think I saw some of this material before).  It’s great to see them bring back many figures from history to tell in their own words what was happening, and what was motivating their actions, but the players in the movie’s main plot don’t get enough time.     

On the positive side, Leaf and Scheinfeld get some startling admissions in interviews that yield amazing insight.  The most chilling of these is Watergate figure and radio talk show host G. Gordon Liddy who speaks candidly and nonchalantly about how Lennon was being watched by the Nixon administration because, “He was a high profile figure, so he was being monitored.”  It’s this kind of open admission by both sides of the cultural wars that brings back all of those emotions, and shows the directors know how to capture it and present it to the audience.  

The U.S. vs. John Lennon is a great retro ride for those who miss those trippy days, but not much of an educational experience.  

2 Waffles (Out Of 4)

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