Movie Review: Daytime Revolution

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Daytime Revolution

Daytime RevolutionEven more than 80 years after his birth, people are still interested in the life and career of John Lennon. In the 21st century alone, there have been many documentaries made on the man, specifically about he and his wife Yoko Ono. In this year of 2024, there are two different documentaries about the couple being released. One of them is One To One: John & Yoko (a documentary on the historic New York benefit show the couple took part in) while the other is Daytime Revolution.  Directed by Erik Nelson, Daytime Revolution covers the topic of the couple’s week co-hosting The Mike Douglas Show in February 1972. Told through the use of archival footage and newly conducted interviews, Daytime Revolution is a solid documentary on a week of television that’s worth revisiting.

The Review
One might wonder why there’s another documentary is being made about John and Yoko. Of the four Beatles, Lennon is arguably the most documented and publicized member of the band: from his political activism to his untimely death, Lennon was certainly an interesting man. His relationship with wife Yoko Ono made the headlines, making them one of the most popular couples in pop culture. Lennon’s story has been touched upon several times, specifically on his time living in the United States. Documentaries such as The US vs John Lennon and LennoNYC are examples of this. Prior to Daytime Revolution, Lennon and Ono’s time on The Mike Douglas Show was touched upon to some extent in these movies but this is the first time a movie has been made about it.

John Yoko with Mike DouglasThe set up for Daytime Revolution is creative. After an introduction and some segments on the subject matter, the movie falls into a structure. Lennon and Ono co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show during the week of February 14 to 18, 1972. For each of the five days, the movie tries to replicate what it was like to watch each day in 1972. Before any of the Mike Douglas Show footage is shown, viewers are treated to various newsreels from each of the five days the episodes aired. This gives viewers a better idea of what was going on in the world at that time. During February 1972, the United States were going through changes: Richard Nixon was President of the United States and the Vietnam War was still going. During that week in February 1972, Lennon and Ono invited various different guests on the show: musicians, politicians, activists and everyone in between.

John Lennon Yoko Ono Chuck BerryWith each of the five days these episodes aired, viewers are treated to seeing footage from those shows. Along with this, the filmmakers interview at least one person from each show to share their memories of being on  The Mike Douglas Show. Considering that many of the people and figures from that week have passed away, this format works: each of the people interviewed represents the day that they were on the show. The interviewees’ segments from the episodes are shown in the movie, after which there is a “commercial break,” which serves has a break from the archival footage and the commercial comes in the form of more interviews/talking heads. With this setup, the viewer is not only watching footage from those episodes but are also being given commentary to the footage. In some parts, the interviewees are shown their segments right there in the movie, with viewers getting to see their reactions. Despite some of the guests passing away, some of them are talked about by the interviewees. This includes people such as Jerry Rubin, Chuck Berry and George Carlin.  Along with this mix of interviewees and archival footage, the documentary has the music of John and Yoko to fall back on.

If Daytime Revolution had any downsides, it would be some omissions. Guests such as Louis Nye and Barbara Loden are not even mentioned. The documentary could’ve also benefitted with some interviews with members of Elephant’s Memory, John and Yoko’s backing band during this period of time. Some segments and/or pieces from the show are also missing, including the famous phone call piece from the first show, where John and Yoko started calling random people and telling them they were loved.  Then again, most of the content covered during this week of television is touched upon. With that, this can be forgiven.

Conclusion
Daytime Revolution
is an enjoyable documentary from Kino Lorber and company. While it isn’t without its flaws, the movie does what it sets out to do: it makes a case as to why John and Yoko’s time on The Mike Douglas Show was and still is culturally significant. With the release of this documentary, one might wonder if the full length episodes of will see a new release. The episodes were released in a VHS boxset during the late 1990s/early 2000s. In my review of the 2018 Imagine/Gimme Some Truth DVD, I called out for this AND the New York City concert to get modern day releases. Time will tell if this will happen. For now, Beatles and Lennon fans alike can enjoy Daytime Revolution.

Movie Rating: 7/10

Daytime Revolution
will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 26, 2024. For more info on the movie, please click here.

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Aaron ConnMovie Review: Daytime Revolution