NOFX's documentary begins with an audio clip familiar to fans of the band, previously heard at the end of their album "So Long and Thanks For All the Shoes." It establishes that the documentary will include a healthy dose of self-deprecation. The story lives up to that promise, while at the same time packing an emotional punch.

The main narrative threads are how NOFX was formed in the 1980s, their struggles with substance abuse over the years, and the farewell tour they mounted in 2024. It concludes by checking in with the band members after they've gone their separate ways post-NOFX.

Members of NOFX and other bands are interviewed, telling us about what distinguishes the band members as personalities and on a professional level. Their music and radically independent career approach were controversial and innovative. There is refreshing honesty in NOFX drummer Erik "Smelly" Sandin and frontman/lead singer/bassist Michael 'Fat Mike' Burkett talking openly about their drug use. Tension between Mike and second guitarist Eric Melvin is addressed. It led to a rift between them that was unresolved at the time of this documentary's release.

A lot of the humour comes from stories of the band's ups and downs. We learn that everyone thought they sucked in the '80s and Fat Mike doesn't disagree. We get amusing details on why they had to boot their first two lead guitarists for being ridiculous trainwrecks, paving the way for multi-talented Mexican American musician / actor Aaron 'El Hefe' Abeyta, whose combination of skill, professionalism, and positive attitude helped the band reach new levels of success after he joined them permanently in 1992.

Old photographs and video recordings scattered throughout the documentary are sure to make NOFX fans nostalgic and likely cause sadness over how Fat Mike and Eric Melvin have come into conflict, far removed from their teenage days spent becoming best friends over their shared love of music and skateboarding.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the documentary is the way it addresses the conflict between art and commerce, which is at the heart of the problems between Mike and Melvin. Important context is given to NOFX's rise through an explanation of what was going on in the music industry when it happened.

Punk rock was gaining an unprecedented amount of mainstream attention in the mid-to-late '90s. Naturally, NOFX members were tempted to consider accepting feelers put out by major labels, radio, and MTV. Fat Mike was adamant that they stick to a 'Do-It-Yourself' (DIY) ethos, maintaining control and ownership of their music and career trajectory. This is a double-edged sword, as it helped the band profit immensely and maintain its integrity, while simultaneously leading to distrust between Fat Mike and the others.

The documentary mines Fat Mike's eccentricities, idiosyncrasies, and contradictions for intrigue. He is a shrewd businessman and an ambitious go-getter. At the same time, he is irresponsible and self-destructive, much to the chagrin of his bandmates, family, and friends. In morbidly fascinating scenes, Fat Mike explains his love of bondage and asks his wife to record him during a horrifying health scare. Even during these parts, which have some of the documentary's most disturbing moments, Fat Mike and various talking heads inject some much-appreciated levity into the proceedings by reacting to crazy situations with casual or deadpan comments and attitudes.

I admired Fat Mike's candor. Some of the documentary's graphic details about his ordeals and obsessions made me viscerally uncomfortable, but they were not empty shocks. There are life lessons to be learned here. The rationale behind Mike's sometimes alarming behaviour is implied in a short account of his childhood. He exemplifies the importance of not neglecting one's children or making them feel like a burden.

The documentary is wall-to-wall with NOFX's music and divided into chapters. Fat Mike wrote droll jingles to introduce the different chapters, with helpful subtitles provided so that their lyrics can be understood. There's lots of concert footage and entertaining commentary from musicians who were NOFX friends and/or peers talking about what they did and didn't like about NOFX's music.

Fat Mike says that unlike most bands, NOFX almost never rehearsed, but they do for their final performance because it includes a song they had never played before, written by him to only be played at this event. How the song is presented in the documentary should be a moving and poignant experience for many fans (as it was for me). The editing is very effective.

Among other things, this documentary feels like a cautionary tale about how business can get in the way of friendship and the adverse effects success can have on one one's body and mind. It's clear that Fat Mike made a lot of sacrifices to help his band. The loss of a treasured friendship may be the most painful one. He achieved his goal of gaining NOFX greater creative and financial freedom than other bands, but the personal cost was high.

Mike made it to a good place, but not unscathed. As a NOFX fan, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to see his process, even though it was hard to watch at times. As I left the Toronto screening of NOFX's documentary on May 1st, 2026, a lady recording departing fans on her cell phone asked me, "What did you think of the movie?" I said, "Loved it!" and gave a thumbs up. In hindsight, this was an oversimplification of what I felt. I wish I'd been able to say something more nuanced and substantial. What I said was all I could think of on the spot moments after the documentary ended.

If I could have had more time to think before answering the question, I might have come up with something better. I'd would have liked to sum up my mixed feelings using NOFX's lyrics to help make my point. I would have liked to say something like this:

"I *mostly* loved it...some parts were hard to watch, but that's okay! NOFX has never been a conventional band, so the only way a documentary could do them justice was by being unconventional itself. The documentary wasn't perfect, but it shouldn't be. It's what it should have been. It's about the perfection of imperfection - "The glory of guitar...when out of tune. The off timing...the singers who can't sing, the beauty of flaw."

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Story of the band NOFX. Chronicles how they met each other, achieved popularity and success, then completed a unique, triumphant farewell tour in 2024, following decades of struggle with health problems and internal conflicts.

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