Omer Levent It has not been a different life than the other 27's. It has not been a different life than other real stars. Filmin structure was not good. I guess they did it without much effort. He did not elaborate after Janis's death. No special music was made for the film. I did not like your director very much. The film has not succeeded in dramatic places as well. It was not nice without Janis. There was an air of sadness. Although a girl who was excluded in her childhood and adolescence was given a nice star, she had not been given any details when necessary.

classicsoncall The fall of 1970 delivered a terrible gut punch with the passing of two rock icons, Jimi Hendrix on 9/18, and Janis Joplin on 10/4/70. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were 'idols' of mine, but I did hold their body of work in high regard, brief as their careers might have been. This recent documentary did much to confirm what I read about Janis in a recent book of her life. She was a lonely spirit, terribly insecure about her personal appearance and lack of meaningful relationships, finding her inner soul only when she was on stage and performing for the crowds that gave her the approbation she so desperately wanted and needed.What this documentary offered that I particularly enjoyed was musical footage I hadn't seen before, including songs Janis performed that I'd never heard before, like the opening "Tell Your Momma". The story goes on to describe Janis's close relationship with her family that she tried to maintain during the course of her rising career, even though she wanted to leave her Port Arthur, Texas roots well behind her. Much of the on screen personal dialog is handled by her sister Laura throughout the picture, with occasional clips of brother Michael.Fans of Joplin will know that her career breakout occurred with Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967. In these music documentaries, I try to stay attentive to scenes that offer a glimpse of memorabilia from the era, and I was astonished to see a ticket for the Festival during a quick scene. It's not unusual to see tickets priced at five or six dollars back in the Sixties, the Beatles' concert at Shea Stadium would have set you back a whole five bucks. But for Monterey Pop - a stage front seat went for a 'Charitable Contribution'! There's something to be said about the good old days.In any event, Janis Joplin has been and probably will remain my favorite female vocalist for a long time. There's something electrifying about her voice and the way she sustains that bluesy soul feeling in songs like "Cry Baby", "Maybe" and the song that epitomizes her life and tragic end, "Little Girl Blue". Listen to the words, and all the pain and sorrow is there that Janis experienced, and which unfortunately led to her premature death at the age of twenty seven. Man, I wish she were still around.

hyoga_saint 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.

subxerogravity Of course I know who Janis Joplin was, who doesn't, but I was never a huge fan of her work, so I did not know anything about her life story. And what a great story it was, told by those who knew Janis the most, the Documentary was loaded with interviews from the people closet to her who were there for the ride that was her life. Mixed in with a lot of archive footage of Joplin as well as a touching voice over of letters Joplin wrote to her family back home being read during the film.But most importantly, lots of music was played. I've seen docs and other movies about major rock icons where the music was not center stage simple because of legal rights. Does not feel like Little Girl Blue had that problem, and I'm thankful, cause as much as her life was interesting, it's all about the music.It was funny, entertaining, and centered on the rock and roll as they told the story of one of the greatest icons in music history.