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You won’t believe it, but somebody has made a boring movie about the MC5, a band who issued a press release proclaiming themselves dedicated to rock and roll, dope, and sex in the streets. At the apex of the hippie era, the 5 were both a brilliant marketing gimmick and an authentic drug-crazed avant-garde R&B showband. But director David C. Thomas falls prey to all the MC5 clichés, overplaying the group’s "revolutionary" politics (the Black Panthers got it right when they called the White Panther Party a bunch of "psychedelic clowns") while shortchanging the group’s musical vision. The 5 began, and ended, with a pair of fistfights between a couple of Motor City hoods, frontman Rob Tyner and guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith; both are long dead, so it’s left to ex-junkie lead-guitarist Wayne Kramer and the band’s surviving rhythm section to tell the tale. News flash: they’re not always the most reliable sources. Ex-wives, ex-managers, and an almost remorseful Jon Landau (he ruined 1970’s Back in the USA) join a talking-head parade patched together with photos, stock footage, archival Super-8s of the band (almost all of them silent), and a few concert performances. The film starts at loose ends and works itself into a semblance of a tragedy — but not before making fools of almost everyone involved. Worse, as it’s the only MC5 documentary extant, you’ll have to see it eventually. With luck, it’ll be free. (119 minutes)
BY CARLY CARIOLI
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