★ 7 / 10
This is quite an eye-opening documentary that uses
CinemaSerf
This is quite an eye-opening documentary that uses the 1972 “One to One” concert that John and Yoko did to raise funds for the infamous Willowbrook hospital -…
This is quite an eye-opening documentary that uses the 1972 “One to One” concert that John and Yoko did to raise funds for the infamous Willowbrook hospital - where the appalling treatment of kids with learning difficulties turned heads and stomachs in equal measure, to shine a light on Nixon’s United States. Using an astonishing collection of archive of not just this couple, but of newsreels and television content, Kevin Macdonald presents a pretty galling indictment of a society riddled with racism, homophobia and ignorance against a backdrop of a flower power movement determined to stop the war in Vietnam. I suppose Jerry Rubin would have been called an agitator by the authorities, with his vocal and vociferous criticism of all things government, and his relationship with the Lennon’s is also under a spotlight of scrutiny that led to their threatened deportation. By the end of this, and after Nixon’s landslide victory in the election, it isn’t hard to see why the administration wanted shot of the pair - though that might have had more to do with her terrible singing than with his determination to turns weapons into plant pots and release all prisoners. It is still quite a resonating position even now when the naïveté of their grand design appeals on a superficial level but never delivers adequate enough solutions for the general population who still tend to believe what they are told by the folks they vote for, and obviously the timeframe of this feature is well before the full impact of “Watergate” kicks in rather torpedoes that faith. I could have done with more music, and perhaps a little more from the pair about his leaving the “Beatles” and of her own subsequent vilification from just about everyone, but this is still an illuminating look at a society struggling to emerge from the 1960s, showing the simultaneous power and the impotence of protest, and is worth a watch.
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★ 7 / 10
Good examination of two legendary figures
Bleu-Le-Fluff-0969
Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.While some of it's presentation and structure does lack a little bit of substance, no denying Kevin MacDonald…
Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.While some of it's presentation and structure does lack a little bit of substance, no denying Kevin MacDonald embraces an nostalgic and captivating examination of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Using good uses of archive footage and concert videos throughout, it helps develop an interesting character study of John and Yoko's relationship, the politics and what makes them special and interesting. Splashing with a good sense of nostalgia to be sucked into the world of the two. Especially with how the music and sound is used very well to present the tone, direction and style. Having grown up with the Beatles and loving the works from John, having the chance to experience this at Sundance was a good experience.Say what you want about John and Yoko but their relationship and lives surrounding them is one testament of something that is definitely an interesting thing to examine.
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★ 6 / 10
High expectations not quite met
paul-allaer
As "One tot One: John & Yoko" (2024 release from the UK; 105 min.) opens, It is 1971, and we learn that John and Yoko have left Britain and moved into a small…
As "One tot One: John & Yoko" (2024 release from the UK; 105 min.) opens, It is 1971, and we learn that John and Yoko have left Britain and moved into a small apartment in Greenwich Village, watching lots and lots of TV. Along the way we get clips of the news of that era, including the Attica State Correctional disaster, the anti-Vietnam movement, and lots of Richard Nixon. Then in August, 1972, John & Yoko decide to hold a benefits concert at Madison Square Garden. At this point we are 10 minutes in the documentary,Couple of comments: this is directed by Oscar-winning Kevin Macdonald ("One Day In September"), and executive produced by Brad Pitt and Sean Ono Lennon among others. The "excuse" for this documentary is the supposed restored audio footage from the MSG 1972 concert, the only full-fletched post-Beatles concert by Lennon. Of course you may recall that the video footage was already released in 1986 as "Live in New York City", and as it happens this documentary only shows clips of only 6 songs (5 by Lennon, 1 by Yoko). The rest is filled with newly unearthed home footage by John & Yoko, miscellaneous TV news and talks show clips, and lots of recorded TV calls. Is this bad? Of course not, but I must admit that when all was said and done, I just felt that my high expectations were not quite met."One to One: John & Yoko" premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival to general positive acclaim. It opened this weekend out of the blue at my arthouse theater here in Cincinnati, and I just had to check it out. The Sunday matinee screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (3 people, including myself). If you are a fan of John Lennon or are interested what New York was like in the early 70s, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
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I get hatey on John Lennon sometimes because he was a wife beater and then I remember he was married to Yoko.