SummaryCovering a year in Jimi Hendrix’s life from 1966-67 as an unknown backup guitarist playing New York’s Cheetah Club to making his mark in London’s music scene up until his Monterey Pop triumph, the film presents an intimate portrait of the sensitive young musician on the verge of becoming a rock legend.
Directed By:John Ridley
Written By:John Ridley
Jimi: All Is by My Side
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Mixed or Average
5.1
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
67% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
30% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Sep 25, 2014
100
Liberated from playing the hits, Benjamin eloquently captures Hendrix’s emerging style without having to succumb to jukebox-musical opportunism.
Sep 25, 2014
80
The damn thing is, Ridley very nearly makes this insuperable obstacle work to his benefit. He delivers a flawed, ambitious and deeply peculiar portrait of one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic musical talents, in the year before he ascended to rock-god status, that resembles no other pop-music biopic you’ve ever seen.
User score
Mixed or Average
48% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
14% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
38% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
Oct 19, 2015
9
GREAT MOVIE. REALISTIC, PROFOUND, AND DRAMATIC. This is an existentialist movie based on reality: the life, mind, and character of Jimi Hendrix. It gets deep into his thought process, why he played music, his philosophy, his flaws, and his uprising in rock-n-roll history. The story has extraordinary performances: Andrew Buckley brought an intense realism, playing a first-time manager trying to struggle through a crushing music industry. Andrew's performance was so spectacular, I will probably see more of his movies just because he's in it. Imogen Poots: was excellent as well playing the full gamut human emotions. Her sharp wit and biting comments were things Jimi couldn't ignore. Yet she was brilliantly vulnerable as a woman falling for a man who couldn't bring himself to say the words, and commit. Hayley Atwell: brilliant performance as a possessive groupie. She also played many emotions with aplomb. She brought intense rage, despair, and jealousy to the screen. Andre Benjamin: an extraordinary performance. Andre pulled this off with panache. He really seemed like Jimi, the walk, the talk, the hair, I felt like I was watching the real man. Andre was particularly powerful with merely his eyes and facial expressions, somehow while saying nothing.
Sep 26, 2014
75
That's something else Ridley and his actors do: make you appreciate what a life it was - impossibly short, impossibly brilliant.
Sep 25, 2014
70
Sure, the hits would have been nice. But it says something about Jimi: All Is by My Side (and Benjamin's performance) that it is still a success without them.
Sep 23, 2014
63
Maybe Jimi: All is By My Side is as good a Jimi Hendrix bio-pic as we’ll ever get, at least so long as there are legal entanglements strangling the late guitar god’s legacy.
Sep 25, 2014
50
Here is where All Is By My Side runs into trouble. The real Etchingham has said, forcibly, that this didn’t happen — not the beating nor her subsequent attempted suicide, shown in the film.
May 30, 2014
25
The film is not only one dimensional when it comes to its subject, but also of the time and place where Hendrix arrived.
Jun 1, 2017
8
A very well done film about Jimi Hendrix, and probably the best I have seen. (There were some OK made for TV movies about him I saw as a kid...this is probably better, with a great performance by Andre Benjamin.) This is not however a "standard" biopic as it does not chart his whole life, instead focusing on his time before becoming completely "famous" as well as on the different women in his life. It is certainly not perfect however and seemed to gloss over or barely even address his notorious drug use, and it could have possibly delved deeper into his psyche or other areas, **** was still a pretty good film about Jimi Hendrix revealing some aspects of his character, again with a great performance by Andre Benjamin and pretty much every supporting actor. Good but not great, but still very worthwhile for any Jimi Hendrix fan.
Jan 26, 2015
6
This is an interesting flick if you don't know about Jimi before he became famous. Before he was labeled a genius. His come up sort of speak. However, the movie moved slllllllllllooooooowly with seemingly alot of uncertainty of where the movie was to end. As if the movie started with a different ending that it's original ambition. Andre' (of Outkast fame) was perfect for the role in his appearance but not sure of his acting "chops." The movie is good for a watch, if you got the time-and the patience.
Feb 10, 2015
5
A masterfully crafted exhibition of style that, unfortunately, is virtually bereft of focus, character development or narrative. Jimi Hendrix deserves better than this.
Sep 18, 2018
2
Movie without focus on Hendrix. Ok, it talks only about Jimi's beginning as a star, but the spotlight aren't not even in him, but in his relationship with his girlfriend. If film doesn't focus in his career, or in his person, only gives attention being a poor pseudo-drama. Not even has enough music, that was epicenter on guitarist's life.
If you want to know about this genial and influential musician, this movie, definitively, is the absolute wrong way.
Jan 18, 2015
1
Apart from the fine performance by Outkast's Andre Benjamin, this film was incredibly disappointing. Too much focus on the women in Hendrix's London life and not enough music. How can you make a film about a musician and not feature the songs that made him interesting?
Production Company:
- Darko Entertainment
- Freeman Film
- Subotica
- Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board
- Matador Pictures
- AIBMS
Release Date:Sep 26, 2014
Duration:1 h 58 m
Rating:R
Website:
Awards
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 2 Nominations
Black Reel Awards
• 2 Nominations
Biografilm Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
