Hendrix (2000)

Biography of rock star Jimi Hendrix chronicles his early career, including a stint with Little Richard who fired him for getting too flamboyant, to his tragic failure. Struggling to find a ... See full summary »

Director:

Leon Ichaso

Writers:

Rob Weiss, Butch Stein,

Stars:

Wood Harris, Billy Zane, Dorian Harewood

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wood Harris	...	Jimi Hendrix
Billy Zane	...	Michael Jeffrey
Dorian Harewood	...	Al Hendrix
Christian Potenza	...	Chas Chandler
Vivica A. Fox	...	Faye Pridgeon
Kris Holden-Ried	...	Noel Redding (as Kristen J. Holdenried)
Christopher Ralph	...	Mitch Mitchell
Christopher Bolton	...	Ron Terry
Michie Mee	...	Devon Wilson (as Michi Mee)
Ann Marin	...	Linda Keith
Kevin Hanchard	...	Little Richard
Kevin Duhaney	...	Young Jimi
Linda V. Carter	...	Lucille Hendrix (as Linda Carter)
Clé Bennett	...	Billy Cox
Brian Paul	...	Henry Steingarten

Storyline

Biography of rock star Jimi Hendrix chronicles his early career, including a stint with Little Richard who fired him for getting too flamboyant, to his tragic failure. Struggling to find a niche, he moves to England where he becomes friends with musician and producer Chas Chandler (Christian Portenza). Chas then teams him with Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding (Krit Holdenreid, Christopher Ralph) to form the Experience. As Hendrix gets public attention, Chas then introduces him to a major record producer (Billy Zane) who takes over his career. While this gets Hendrix international exposure, it also places him in the hands of people interested only in the money aspects that his career offers them. One of the early disasters foisted on him by the record company is an opening bill for "The Monkees" on an American tour. His then unknown act is booed by teens just wanting to see their idols. A genius and a perfectionist, Hendrix drives everyone crazy as he starts making albums himself ...

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Plot Keywords:

jimi hendrix | lesbian | interracial relationship | ménage à trois | 1960s | 

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Taglines:

He set the world on fire

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Showtime Networks

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2000 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

MGM Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In a scene where Jimi is meeting with record producers, a shot of a city street shows late model cars. A black SUV can be seen driving from left to right of screen.

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Quotes

[Jimi is on stage at the Monterey Pop Festival]
Michael Jeffrey: Whose fucking idea was it to have him go on after the Who?

User Reviews

Very well done movie

I'm very disappointed by the reviews I've seen so far. I think they can be broken into two very different views: 1) This is a low budget movie and should have done better, and 2) I'm a guitar player and the guitar playing and depiction Jimi's life were incomplete.

Okay, I think I can address those all at once: It wasn't a move for guitarists, and being a low budget movie, they couldn't possibly cover every aspect of the man's life.

What they chose to cover, I believe, was very substantial and important. Being a guitarist myself, I'm not disappointed in Wood's performance. Was his "guitar playing" perfect? No, he's an actor, not a guitarist. Nevertheless, the movie was very well done, Wood did an amazing job of portraying the character of Hendrix, and the story told a great deal of Jimi's early life in music. The latter part, I think, is probably what bothered most, as it didn't go into enough details about his demise.

I think it's unfair to put down the movie for that. I don't think that's where the writers and directors were focusing. They were concentrating on his early music career and I think they did it brilliantly. I found it entirely engrossing and having seen it three times, I'll watch it a fourth.

If you're not a Hendrix fan, but you're curious about his early career, I think this movie is just for you. I won't guarantee that it's entirely accurate, but it's close enough to satisfy me, and the acting and music are exceptional.