The US vs. John Lennon strives to be many things – biography, concert film, and political documentary – and ultimately sinks in its grand ambitions. On their own, any of the separate topics making up this film could have produced an entertaining half-hour documentary. On their own, however, they don't gel as well as co-writer/directors David Leaf and John Scheinfeld hoped.  

Firstly, in any movie about John Lennon, one cannot ignore the music. The filmmakers make effective use of Lennon's songs during montages of both Lennon's life and the era’s socio-political changes. Lennon's anthemic, gentle melodies naturally lend themselves to such sequences. Furthermore, smart choices of archival footage give these montages an ethereal quality, acting as an interlude from the more serious parts of the film. I got the sense that you really had to "be there" to appreciate the true power of what Lennon was doing. The filmmakers do manage to evoke this atmosphere in a clip where thousands of young people gather at an anti-war demonstration singing John Lennon's "All we are saying is, give peace a chance." Despite the simplicity of the phrase, the sight and sound of so many singing in unison creates a powerful effect matching any government effort to smear the day’s political activists.

On the other hand, the film bogs down when it starts to document the era's politics. While an understanding of the key events is important to put Lennon's actions in context, the filmmakers over do it and end up incorporating too much detail about the FBI and Richard Nixon, bringing in talking head after talking head to each give their opinions. As a result, John Lennon disappears for much of the middle of the film as the filmmakers try to integrate all the subplots, and is sorely missed, as the film loses much of its purpose without its core figure.

Moreover, the film seems unsure as to how to paint Lennon as a political figure when it covers his years as an activist. At times the filmmakers want to show Lennon as a martyr, standing up for his beliefs and inspiring a generation, but at other times he comes across as a naïve and pretentious fool. In an especially scathing sequence, a New York Times journalist criticises Lennon for his belief that his billboards’ proclamation that "War is Over If You Want It" will have an effect on the world. To offer a one-sided argument about Lennon would be equally bad, but the effort to show both sides backfires as the filmmakers' opposing stances seem to nullify each other instead of showing Lennon's humanity.

The last part of the film, detailing Lennon’s battle to fight his deportation, was what I really had a problem with. I understand that it might have been a big deal at the time, but it really didn't do much for me – perhaps because we live in an age where people across the world can easily organise online and geographical distance means less than ever. There was never any true drama about the Lennon's ordeal, and the filmmakers probably could have done more with the FBI's harassment of Lennon to make the film more tense.

The film is partly saved by a final concert sequence showing Lennon and Ono, singing one of his inspirational songs, backed by a group of musicians and political activists. The film manages to keep the audience entertained through such scenes, and also manages to provide a compelling look at a part of John Lennon's life which is not as well documented as his career in the Beatles. Unfortunately, the film does not work quite as well as a political documentary, its purported goal, and given the many documentaries out there about the Lennon and the Beatles, I would give this film a miss unless you were a big Lennon fan.

Rating: 2/5

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