One to One: John & Yoko

2024

Action / Biography / Documentary

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 91% · 76 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 95% · 50 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.3/10 10 704 704

new york city 1970s

Director

Kevin Macdonald Photo
Kevin Macdonald

Top cast

Charles Chaplin Photo
Charles Chaplin as Self
Yoko Ono Photo
Yoko Ono as Self
Andy Warhol Photo
Andy Warhol as Self
Bob Dylan Photo
Bob Dylan as Self
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB.x265
929.42 MB
1280*958
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds 18
1.87 GB
1442*1080
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds 47
1.69 GB
1442*1080
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds 18

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Bleu-Le-Fluff-0969 7 / 10

Good examination of two legendary figures

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.
Reviewed by paul-allaer 6 / 10

High expectations not quite met

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.
Reviewed by ferguson-6 8 / 10

It takes the Village

Greetings again from the darkness. So why did John and Yoko leave England to live in New York? This film provides the answer. Where did they choose to live? The film provides the answer. Why did John perform his only full post-Beatles concert in 1972? This film provides the answer. Why did they become so politically and socially active during those first 18 months in the States? This film provides the answer. And if you ever wondered how John felt about American television, well you guessed it ... this film provides the answer.Where did all of these answers come from? Well, Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald (ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER, 1999; THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, 2006; MARLEY, 2012) co-directs with Editor/co-director Sam Rice-Edwards and they focus on a very brief timeline, so that we might better understand John Lennon and Yoko Ono. You might think you know all you need to know about this famous couple, but the filmmakers, along with Producer Sean Ono Lennon, ensure that you see and hear clips you haven't seen or heard before.Much of this is centered around John's only full post-Beatles concert in 1972, entitled "One to One". Its purpose was to raise funds for kids through Willowbrook State School. And that's not the only storyline about a kid - it turns out, one of the reasons John and Yoko moved to the states was her hope in reuniting with a long-lost daughter named Kyoto. It's just one of the elements of the film that makes this much more of a personal story than simply a recap of celebrities.The film also works as a snapshot of the era. President Richard Nixon (one clip shows him sporting a maroon blazer), extremist Jerry Rubin, "The Mike Douglas Show", Dick Cavett, Attica, Andy Warhol, and Billy Graham all have their moments. The attempted assassination of George Wallace is shown, as are numerous TV ads, TV series clips, and some news reports. The Vietnam War and Watergate are featured, yet somehow Allen Ginsburg reciting an ode to wiping one's rear-end nearly steals the show.We've all seen clips from Lennon's One to One concert, and here they are remastered and sound terrific. "Instant Karma", "Hound Dog", "Cold Turkey", "Imagine", "Give Peace a Chance" are all shown, but it's the scorching version of "Come Together" that really stands out. Of course, we are subjected to Yoko's onstage banshee screeching ... though thankfully near the end of the film, she gets a more heartfelt chance to actually sing.During the film, the contrast with Nixon is obvious. John and Yoko are sincerely committed to peace, love, and justice, while Nixon's politics for power stands opposed. The recreation of John and Yoko's small apartment in the Village is quite something to behold - and remarkable when compared to the photographs and archival footage. When John describes his early obsession with TV as 'a window into the world' and a replacement for the fireplace of his youth, we gain even more insight into the man known mostly for his music and quips. In 1973, John and Yoko moved from the small apartment in the Village to the swanky Dakota building. His wish for the couple to be remembered as "two lovers" comes closer to reality with this film. Some of their home movies (with Sean) are played as the runtime ends.In IMAX theaters on April 11, 2025.
Read more IMDb reviews

8 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment