We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen

2005
7.7| 1h31m| en
Details

A feature-length documentary chronicling early '80s punk rock band the Minutemen, from their beginnings in San Pedro, California, to their demise after the death of singer D. Boon in 1985.

Director

Producted By

Rocket Fuel Films

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Reviews

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!
ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
rdoyle29 I love The Minuteman, so it would be very hard for me to dislike this documentary. Still, I thought it had some pretty serious structural problems. The backbone of the film is Mike Watt telling the story of the band in chronological order, using primarily clips from two lengthy interviews. This part of the film tells a compelling story. It is inter cut with performance footage and snippets of interviews with dozens of other major and minor figures in the band's story. This talking head footage has a tendency to undermine the film at time. The director obviously collected so much interview footage that he seems compelled to use it, but what's being said is often repetitive and not pertinent to the point that Watt's story has reached. It gives the film a disorganized, scatter shot feel that really undermines its effectiveness at times.
binaryg I'm a sixty something life-long fan of rock (well at least since the mid 1950s), and lived in California and never heard of the Minutemen that I can remember. Maybe I did hear of them but thought they had something to do with Paul Revere. I'm not sure why I rented the DVD but I'm happy I did.The interviews, the live shows are raw like the music The Minutemen made. I think their lyrics and what they sing about to be inspired. They aren't afraid to speak the truth (whatever that is!) and do it in an unique and insistent fashion. In the interview of the three band mates they come across as grounded, thoughtful, humble, and connected to one another. D. Boone, Mike Watt, George Hurley rock. I wish I'd have seen them live.
Kirk Williams Excellent doc for minutemen fans and anyone, I suppose, who appreciates inventive, challenging music delivered with skill and intensity by three very talented yet humble dudes. Tim Irwin, with the aesthetic of his subject in mind, keeps things rolling at a brisk pace, offering a lot of information in a short period of time through a combination of archival show and interview footage of the band, and fresh interviews with their friends and contemporaries. The dominant thread running throughout the film, however, is Mike Watt's tour of San Pedro accompanied by his history of both the band and his friendship with D. Boon. In the words (probably) of Richard Roeper, "a genuine film about genuine people, Roger?"
pm-52 Always did love this band. Can't believe D Boon's been gone 20 years now (that's the spoiler). Saw it last night at the ICA in London. Many laughs, and a few teary eyes. The film really does capture their passion for music and their utter passion for their own music.There is quite a lot of live footage. Hopefully a DVD release will have these in full. The comments from folks around at the time are funny, insightful, charming, touching and so on. I'd love to show this to someone who has never heard these guys - I have a feeling the film would still be compelling viewing as, as I say, it really does communicate the intensity of this unique trio.PM

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