Lauren Griffin This is an excellent documentary about an influential, although relatively unknown, band. My husband and I were fortunate enough to see it at a one-night-only showing at an Atlanta rock club. Wayne Kramer, the MC5's guitarist, originally said it was a "wonderful film" and John Sinclair, the band's one-time manager, said Thomas had done "a fine job". However, in April 2004, Kramer sued the producer and director of the film (Laurel Legler and David C. Thomas, respectively) alleging that Legler and Thomas had promised he would be the film's music producer. Legler and Thomas denied this but distribution of the film ended and plans for a DVD release were canceled. In March 2007, the court ruled in favor of Legler and Thomas and the Court of Appeals upheld the decision. Even so, as of June 2010, MC5* A True Testimonial has not been released on DVD.

moebius1900 Brilliant movie! If you were ever interested in the subtle--or sometimes not so subtle--interplay between music, politics and zeitgeist, watch this. We get to see how suburban high school friends develop a vision, how their vision is shattered and ultimately destroyed--partly because of the big evil Wolf music-industry, partly because these musicians weren't able neither to be Little Red Riding Hood nor hunters. Rather something in between, like most of us. The dialectics in this film are not to be dismissed: it features great music, revealing interviews and thinking people behind the camera. Excellent!

klofkorn This film represents the work of people who obviously both did their homework and then produced a fair representation of the career of the influential band, the MC5. In the space of two hours they provide substantial insight into the genesis, the career path, and the influence of the MC5. Anyone curious concerning the intersection of rock music and politics, or the evolution of "punk rock," or concerning the counter-culture movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s would be well advised to have a look at this film.Those even more curious would be well advised to go have a look at the Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan and begin their own delvings into this historically significant era. There examine the collection of period publications like "The Ann Arbor Argus," "The Ann Arbor Sun," the papers of Lawerence Plamondon, and more that await serious exploration. Anyone curious about how that earlier anti-war movement progressed could begin the inquiry there.

freealonzo Forget the fact that this documentary has your typical "rock band" story arc: friends start band, band gets big, band takes drugs, band declines artistically, band breaks-up, 30 years later band fondly recalls the fun times and laments the bad.Forget the fact that this movie painstakingly recounts those heady days of revolution, street riots, and domestic political oppression.Forget the fact that this movie makes us believe that the MC5 is just as relevant today as they were 30 plus years ago.Forget the fact that you get to meet such timeless characters as Wayne Kramer, Fred "Sonic" Smith, Rob Tyner, John Sinclair and the White Panther Party, among many many others.Forget the fact that you'll get to see this band live in concert, the Grande Ballroom in its glory, and the battle for Michigan Avenue.Forget all the that because the reason you will want to see this great documentary is because the music just kills!! We are talking almost 2 hours of pure MC5 MF'en jam kickin' folks.A true testimonial indeed!