At His Happiest and Most Messianic

Key Points:

• Steven Soderbergh’s “John Lennon: The Last Interview” features the final media conversation Lennon gave on the day he was murdered, offering a poignant glimpse into his thoughts on love, reconciliation, and cultural shifts, especially regarding men and women.
• Lennon describes his song “(Just Like) Starting Over” as a celebration of personal and societal renewal, emphasizing the need for men and women to bridge cultural divides, reflecting his broad, empathetic worldview.
• The interview also reveals Lennon’s experience as a “househusband” during his hiatus from music, though his admission that a nanny spent much of the day with his son highlights a tension between his progressive ideals and practical realities.
• While the film captures Lennon’s happiness and hopeful outlook, it also shows a messianic side that contrasts with his usual cynicism, making the interview feel more like a promotional effort for his comeback album “Double Fantasy.”
• Soderbergh’s archival collage, enriched with rare photos and music, offers a candid yet somewhat restrained portrait of Lennon, illustrating the path he was poised to take had he not been tragically killed at age 40.