The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Lionsgate | Release Date: September 15, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
3
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
This movie is both sad and inspiring. It offers proof that Lennon's wit and art are everlasting. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyJohn Payne
The U.S. vs. John Lennon offers up the singer's famous, filmed confrontation with the ludicrously snotty New York Times writer Gloria Emerson, who calls Lennon "dear boy" as he heatedly attempts to defend the role of the artist in political discourse. No devious editing required here: Although Lennon seems to lose his composure in the encounter, Emerson looks an utter clown all on her own. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
To me, the most potent dimension of The U.S. vs. John Lennon is the way that it captures the contradictory romanticism of Lennon the radical. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Ending the film with a perfunctory run-through of Lennon's murder on the doorstep of his Manhattan apartment building, however, foregrounds an unfortunate irony: Had the INS succeeded in forcing Lennon out of the U.S., he might be alive today. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
While there is nothing particularly new in the film, it is a stirring celebration of a man of enormous talent, humor and humanity, laid waste by an assassin in New York in 1980. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Lennon's spirit, like his music, shines through this movie like a beacon. Powerful stuff. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
People who love Lennon will almost certainly like the film; his detractors will almost certainly howl "bias!" Even so, it's a movie that, at its best, makes you ache with the memory of an anguished era and its fallen pop culture hero. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
What is ultimately so special about this film is its handling of the relationship between Lennon and wife, Yoko Ono. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Within limits, this is an excellent documentary. Even fans who think they've seen everything will see things here they haven't seen. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The primary talking head is Ono, of course, who's serenely protective of Lennon's greater legacy. Her cooperation ties the film's hands, but only to a point. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Lennon's story is so remarkable and the footage assembled here so fresh and fascinating that the film engrosses despite its formal failings. Give it a chance. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The thing that shines through most clearly, though, is Lennon himself. His widow allowed unprecedented access to the family archives, which along with ample newsreel footage bring us his presence once again. Read full review
70
VarietyPhil Gallo
To track the transformation of John Lennon from adored Beatle to government-stalked peace advocate is David Leaf's stated intention for The U.S. vs. John Lennon, and the pic persuasively chronicles an artist sticking to his guns through activism. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Snazzy, mawkish, and practically Pavlovian in recycling all requisite late-'60s images. Given its subject, though, this David Leaf–John Scheinfeld production is not only poignant but even topical. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Sheds some unexpected light on the uneven and still undigested career of one of the most paradoxical artists pop culture has yet produced. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
One of the best-known cultural figures of the past half-century, leaves the movie with little to do but add its sometimes sanctimonious voice to the chorus of praise and admiration. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Loosely organized but still fascinating.
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
At a time when the country is engaged in fresh debates about the fragile relationship between privacy and national security, this particular chapter seems worth revisiting. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
Documents the Nixon administration's failed, almost comically inept attempt to deport the most political of The Beatles and his wife, Yoko Ono. Given the latter's cooperation with the filmmakers, it comes as no surprise the Lennons come off as saints. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A nice little documentary that provides a view of recent history for those who didn't live through it, or a nostalgia trip for those who did. However, as vehicle for presenting anything new or surprising, it fails. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Speaking as one of the mourners, did I mention how pleasant it is to revisit footage of John Lennon? And to listen to his music which, in this case, comes either in taped performances or laid onto the soundtrack, no fewer than 40 songs drawn almost exclusively from the post-Beatle, pro-Ono phase of his career. Read full review
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