Out of Time: The Material Issue Story is a feature music documentary that covers the biography of the band Material Issue. The film examines the tragic story of a rock band on the cusp of superstardom cut short by front man Jim Ellison’s suicide. The band was literally out of time - sandwiched between the post-punk era of the 1980s and the grunge movement of Seattle, Out of Time: The Material Issue Story tells the story of a band searching for its identity in the gritty world of rock and roll in the early 1990s.

Material Issue were a prominent power pop trio from Chicago in the early 1990’s, and were most notable for their debut album International Pop Overthrow and singles Valerie Loves Me, Diane, What Girls Want, and Kim the Waitress. They were contemporaries of some of rock’s biggest bands, including the Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, the Pretenders, Liz Phair, and INXS.