Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

When You're Strange

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
10K
YOUR RATING
When You're Strange (2009)
A look at the late '60s and early '70s rock band The Doors, including rare exclusive footage.
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
30 Photos
DocumentaryMusic

A look at the late '60s and early '70s rock band The Doors, including rare exclusive footage.A look at the late '60s and early '70s rock band The Doors, including rare exclusive footage.A look at the late '60s and early '70s rock band The Doors, including rare exclusive footage.

  • Director
    • Tom DiCillo
  • Writer
    • Tom DiCillo
  • Stars
    • Johnny Depp
    • John Densmore
    • Robby Krieger
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tom DiCillo
    • Writer
      • Tom DiCillo
    • Stars
      • Johnny Depp
      • John Densmore
      • Robby Krieger
    • 45User reviews
    • 105Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    When You're Strange
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch When You're Strange

    Photos30

    John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison, and The Doors in When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)
    When You're Strange (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    John Densmore
    John Densmore
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Robby Krieger
    Robby Krieger
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Ray Manzarek
    Ray Manzarek
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Jim Morrison
    Jim Morrison
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Pamela Courson
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Pam Courson)
    The Doors
    The Doors
    • Themselves
    • (archive footage)
    Murray Goodman
    • Self - Judge
    • (archive footage)
    Jimi Hendrix
    Jimi Hendrix
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Lyndon Johnson)
    Jim Ladd
    Jim Ladd
    • Self
    • (voice)
    Paul A. Rothchild
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Adolf Hitler
    Adolf Hitler
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Janis Joplin
    Janis Joplin
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    John F. Kennedy
    John F. Kennedy
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Robert F. Kennedy
    Robert F. Kennedy
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Martin Luther King
    Martin Luther King
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Nixon
    Richard Nixon
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Tom DiCillo
    • Writer
      • Tom DiCillo
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Feast of Friends
    7.1
    Feast of Friends
    Janis: Little Girl Blue
    7.4
    Janis: Little Girl Blue
    The Doors: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
    8.2
    The Doors: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
    Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here
    7.9
    Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here
    Down in Shadowland
    6.4
    Down in Shadowland
    The Doors: Live at the Isle of Wight
    7.8
    The Doors: Live at the Isle of Wight
    Pink Floyd: The Making of the Dark Side of the Moon
    8.1
    Pink Floyd: The Making of the Dark Side of the Moon
    Delirious
    6.4
    Delirious
    The Doors
    7.2
    The Doors
    The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir
    7.3
    The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir
    The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
    7.8
    The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
    Box of Moonlight
    7.2
    Box of Moonlight

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the first time in the band's history unprecedented access was granted, regarding the previously unseen footage of Jim Morrison.
    • Goofs
      A mock newspaper clipping announces both that Sharon Tate and her friends have been found murdered and that Charles Manson and his "Family" are suspected. Manson and the "Family" were not identified as the Tate killers until December 1969, more than four months after the murders happened.
    • Quotes

      Jim Morrison: The music can't help but reflecting things that are happening around you

    • Connections
      Edited from Feast of Friends (1969)

    User reviews45

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Documentary Of An Avant-garde Band
    "When You're Strange" recounts quite well the history of the 1960s rock band "The Doors" and its famous, charismatic vocalist Jim Morrison. Using archival and backstage footage, some early home pictures of Morrison, and integrating a history of the band's roots and rocky ride with then-current social upheavals, the film conveys all the chaos, change, and creativity that marked that turbulent era.

    Some of the narrative retells information that the band's devotees have known for decades, like the origin of the name "The Doors", a reference to Aldous Huxley's 1954 book "The Doors Of Perception". And the very first song Robby Krieger wrote was "Light My Fire". But old details can be informative to new fans.

    The film's choppy structure probably had some symbolic significance. But the first five minutes seemed unnecessary. And I could have done without the scenes of Morrison driving a car through the desert, which seemed irrelevant and out of context.

    As someone who has been mesmerized by The Doors for a long time, I don't think I learned anything new. Yet, the never-before-seen visuals, Morrison's on-stage performances and backstage personality, combined with all that strange music, at times carnivalesque and at other times bluesy, were enormously interesting. About midway through, Morrison comes across best, as he sings "Touch Me", accompanied by an orchestra.

    What's disconcerting is the change in Morrison. He starts out innocent and shy, then quickly morphs into an outrageous showman. His indulgence in drugs and hard drinking did him no favors. However, that over-the-edge artistic style was common in the 1960s. And death arrived at the early age of 27 not only for Morrison, but also for Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Morrison's girlfriend, Pamela Courson.

    Forty years after his death, Jim Morrison still fascinates people. Part of that derives from his untimely death. But I think he and The Doors resonate today because they were musical poets, social revolutionaries who saw the inhumanity and evil in the world, and tried to change it, through music. With maybe a couple of exceptions, we do not now have comparably influential poets. Jim Morrison and The Doors call to us from the past.
    helpful•18
    3
    • Lechuguilla
    • Jul 22, 2010

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 12, 2010 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Doors. When you're strange
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $246,078
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $66,833
      • Apr 11, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,194,182
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 26 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    When You're Strange (2009)
    Top Gap
    By what name was When You're Strange (2009) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.