Janis: Little Girl Blue

Movie: Janis: Little Girl Blue

When: Thursday, January 28, 5:15 PM
Who With: JL, JG
YTD Movie Count: 9
Snacks: Popcorn and pop 

Reaction: Wow! I loved this documentary and was not expecting to. JL always says that for my family, pop culture stopped in 1967. He’s not wrong. The Pixies…okay so this is the perfect example of my relationship with Music…I was about to list a bunch of bands I tried to get into in college, could only think of The Pixies (which didn’t take), so I googled “bands similar to The Pixies” and didn’t know any of the results. Anyway, on a defensive note, Baby Boomer nostalgia generally gets lost in translation for me, so I went into this doc with low expectations. I would not have gone if it wasn’t free.

I knew embarrassingly little about Janis Joplin before taking my seat in Roxy Theater #3. Like, did you guys know she was in a band?! Ha, I didn’t even know that! I always assumed she was a solo artist. And my word, what a voice. Out of control and in control; feeling all the feels and making sure you feel them too. This lady was about to go to a whole other level thanks to a producer on her last album teaching her how to not blow out her voice. Instead, she left us with just a taste of her capacity and a heartbreaking missed telegram. 

She carried a loneliness around her that, if you allow me to project a little, comes from feeling different as a kid. Good different, obviously, but that’s just a hard thing to shake. The internet credits her with saying “I’m one of those regular weird people.” How perfect. Regular weird. That’s all us misfits want to be, right?

I do not trust that sister or brother for a second. Janis Joplin’s siblings talk to the camera, kind of a lot without adding very much insight, they get a special thank you, and some kind of advisory production credit. I say no thank you. Sure, be the gatekeepers to footage, letters, and licensing. Fair enough, but do not put you and your stupid sweater sets in the movie. You didn’t know her. I KNOW HER.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you | Let it pass

Next Up: Oscar Nominated Shorts