'Full measure of American mean'

It has not been well received within America because it is challenging and thoughtful; not the normal kind of "entertainment" the person-on-the-street expects. Why pay to see something that is unsettling and may challenge your preconceived positions about the world and your country's ambiguous role in it?

Lions for Lambs is also not easily digestible by audiences outside the United States, where it will be seen as too parochial, narrow-minded and lacking a world view. The title comes from the First World War and a German officer's observation about British military leadership - that it behaves like lambs while its soldiers are like lions.