Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

John Seal Though I am not a fan of the music of Janis Joplin, I found this to be a refreshing look at the brief life and times of the Texas-born wailer. Completely lacking in artifice, Joplin comes across as the archetypal high school outcast, a frumpy artistic type who found liberation living the life of a San Francisco hippy and singing the blues. Joplin comes across as extremely likable and is bluntly honest about her shortcomings as a singer: she pays tribute to Aretha Franklin, acknowledging her own lack of subtlety which, she hoped wistfully, might come in time. That time, of course, never came, and we are left with the extremely erratic results. Joplin is best remembered for her decent if clumsy takes on Ball and Chain and Piece of My Heart, and those tracks are represented here, but the versions of Tell Mama, Cry Baby, and Maybe are frankly embarrassing. Joplin also struggles with Gershwin's Summertime, but the results there are better, partly because the song is so mighty it defies all attempts to lessen its power, and partly because the Kozmic Blues Band wisely chose to arrange it in a raga rock style which still sounds quite fresh today. The film ends with a wistful photo montage set to the tune of Me and Bobby McGee, the posthumous 1971 hit that reunited Janis with the country music of her childhood. Regardless of how you rate Joplin's music, I defy anyone to watch this film and not come away deeply impressed by the humor, intelligence, and warmth of its subject.

artnathan-1 I saw this movie for the first time tonight. It has a special meaning to me as Big Brother (with Janis) played at my Senior Prom in May, 1967. For better or worse, I wound up meeting her again at a concert they did that summer at Lake Tahoe (old Kings Beach Bowl). While there is undoubtedly much more film of her that has never been released, this movie does a decent job of showcasing a woman whose talent still remains unsurpassed. When I had a shot of Southern Comfort with her at 10:30 in the morning the day after the concert, I was too naive to see the seeds of destruction that led to her premature death in 1970. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, there is an excellent display devoted to her life and her music, with some revealing letters sent home to Port Arthur, Texas while in San Francisco. On the whole I very much enjoyed the movie and recommend it to others who lived through this era or want to know more about it.

lib-4 Having seen Joplin live in concert in the 60's it was good to go back and see footage of her singing, and the interviews. also it was great to hear her sing again- no one could wail like "the rose"-- parts of the film seem dated- but of course this was 30 years ago--- ah nostalgia!

Dunhill This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It documents Janis Joplin with her 3 bands: Big Brother and the Holding Company, Kosmic Blues Band, and the Full Tilt Boogie Band. It is a collection of her best songs, Ball & Chain (1969), Piece of My Heart (1969), and Maybe (1969, also). I personally think that the Kosmic Blues Band is the best, especially their rendition of "Summertime". This is a must-see for fans of Pearl.