Groovy costumes and a strong performance from André Benjamin do not a memorable biopic of rock’s most electrifying guitarist make. We’ve waited years for a Jimi Hendrix film, and writer-director John Ridley’s labour of love — covering the year 1966-’67, in which Hendrix approached stardom — still doesn’t cut it. The Hendrix Estate’s refusal to let them use his music is a huge problem, not solved by soap operatics, clumsy editing and arty/odd sound. Imogen Poots as self-appointed muse, Hayley Atwell as girlfriend/keeper of the flame, ludicrous cameos (Burn Gorman is like a Python character) and a slew of ‘looknotalikes’ don’t help.
Jimi: All Is By My Side Review
London, 1966. With the help of Linda Keith (Poots), Keith Richards' girlfriend, guitar genius Jim Hendrix (Benjamin) decamps to the Big Smoke to push the boundaries of his talent. Women, drugs and a Stratocaster await him on that journey.
Release Date:
24 Oct 2014
Running Time:
118 minutes
Certificate:
15
Original Title:
Jimi: All Is By My Side
Muddling by with none of Hendrix's music to fall back on was always going to be a tricky task for the filmmakers. Sure enough, the result disappoints, despite its leads' best efforts.
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