Simply Perfect

Excellent but underrated film

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This touching, intimate documentary chronicles the life of legendary singer Janis Joplin, from her childhood in Port Arthur to her untimely death, as told by her surviving family members, friends, lovers, associates, peers, and by Joplin herself, through personal letters and notes.When Don McLean talks of the "girl who sang the blues" in his seminal song American Pie, it is Janis he references. We see that smile of hers, so full of life, passion and joy. We also see the many faces of her sadness, that bewitching, heartbreaking pain that fed her powerful, inimitable voice.This documentary takes us beyond the music, although Janis was pure music. It is the medium that drove her to like-minded spirits, to someplace she could truly feel herself at home. It led her to recognition, adulation, success. She never seems as alive as when she is on stage.We see how she got there, her ups and downs, the loneliness, self-doubts, the need for an acceptance that may have never really come, especially from herself. Along with the music, the alcohol is also there, as are the drugs. A life lived on the edge, despair never fully going away.I would have liked a little more time to go even more in-depth, peel the layers even more and get closer still to Janis, that little girl blue with the harrowing, unforgettable voice. It is still a wonderful, moving trip to a time, a woman, a soul who remains, in many ways, untouchable.(+) A wonderful retrospective that will tell you who was Janis Joplin, converting newcomers and thrilling long-time fans.(-) More time could have been spent engrossing the story, showing more of the different sides of this haunted, incredible singer.

Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015) *** 1/2 (out of 4)There have been several documentaries on Janis Joplin over the years but this one here is certainly among the very best for a number of reasons. For starters, the film does an extremely good job talking about not only her music career but also her personal life. Secondly, and most importantly, there are many people interviewed here that worked with her directly as well as family members and friends who knew her before she became a star and eventual legend.JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE is certainly going to appeal to those fans of the legendary singer and if you don't know who she is then it's a great way to understand why so many people continue to love her decades after her death. The documentary does an extremely good job at talking about her pre-fame days including her depression with her looks as well as the drug addiction that started soon after she left home. The documentary is full of stories from friends as well as some great footage of concerts as well as band rehearsals.I honestly don't see how anyone could be disappointed in this film. Sure, it's great enough to where it could have gone on for more hours but realistically there's nothing wrong here. The amount of interviews from her original band members is priceless and especially since so many of these people are getting older and many are no longer with us. We get a terrific idea of what it was like for the singer back in the day and we get some letters she wrote read to us as well.Fans of the singer will certainly want to check this documentary out even if they feel they know everything about her.

My favourite music has always been from the 60's and 70's but because she hardly dented the charts here I know comparatively little about Janis Joplin. I must say too that her music doesn't appeal very much to me either, her blues-wailing vocal-style affecting me rather like chalk on blackboard. And yet this was still a fascinating biography of her short life and watching it I couldn't help but think of another young woman who quickly got to the top but once there couldn't handle the pressures and died a lonely death in a haze of drink and drugs, also the subject of a recent documentary biography, I'm speaking of Amy Winehouse of course.Coloured by archive footage of TV interviews, live performances and many candid home-movies of the time, her brief life span is covered from back to front as she lives out the classic rags-to-riches, success-to-excess route of so many in the music business before she checked into the infamous "27" club, also peopled by Brian Jones Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and indeed Amy Winehouse among many others. What emerges here is a woman who only ever seemed at home either cutting records or performing live. Away from the stage and studio, however she was insecure about her looks, sensitive of small-town criticism from where she grew up in the American South and always looking out for the dream man who would help her settle down and beat her spiralling drink and drugs habits.By the end of this engrossing film, I still didn't like her music but certainly better knew, understood and yes, liked the woman behind the music.

This documentary really brought me back to the 60s and 70s. It never ceases to amaze me how tough it is to be a creative artist, just think Brian Wilson or Amy Winehouse. We are introduced to Janis's early life and the many struggles she had to go through growing up. She leaves for California and finds her roots and her tribe with Big Brother and the Holding Company. The live performances really show the incredible rapport she had with her audience during a concert. Coming down from such a high must have been an insupportable task. Janis finds a true love during her time in Brazil which for her was very important. Her letters to her family and friends were filled with hope and optimism right up to her tragic death. Interviews with her various friends and colleagues all painted a picture of a very unique and spontaneous person. The world was truly inspired by a pure spirit.