Personally.. I really enjoyed this film.. The cast playing the characters.. Andre playing Jimi etc Linda etc where all believable.. I liked the way the film unfolded, the way it was different in its take on a biography.. Didn't try to cover everything, a snapshot of the early time and place in Jimi's life.. those important first steps to fame.. I really don't get some of the bad reviews.. I guess that's their personal opinion as this is mine.. but being open minded.. this is a good film and worth a watch.. don't be put off.. take a look for yourself.. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised..

John Ridley's "Jimi: All Is by My Side" is a worthy effort, but without Jimi Hendrix's music it comes across flat. And as happens with a lot of biopics, there seems to be an emphasis on the unpleasant parts of the subjects life (we can debate the authenticity, although Kathy Etchingham has criticized it). The point is that Jimi Hendrix might not be someone whose life story you can film. At least not without his songs. I'd say that "Purple Haze", "Hey Joe" and Hendrix's riff on "The Star-Spangled Banner" tell more about his life than any movie can. He was the greatest guitarist of all time, and this movie doesn't do him justice.So remember what he said about the power of love overcoming the love of power.

most of the happenings in this film seem to make Jimi out to be a crazed drug addict when in reality he was not. Jimi above all else was an artist and a fashion icon. Kathy Etchingham swears that Jimi never hit her, yet there is a scene in the film that shows jimi beat the crap out of her with a phone.... what the hell are they trying to do to the legend's image? Are they trying to discredit the incredible body of music he created? I don't know, but I've read the memoirs of many who knew Jimi deeply and none of them describe the character that I saw in this film. Period.

Had heaps of potential but squanders most of it.The story of Jimi Hendrix's rise to fame, from playing in other people's bands in the US in 1966 to making a name for himself in London in 1966/7. Stops just short of his famous Monterey Pop Festival performance.Interesting from an historical and biographical perspective and had a lot of potential in that regard. However, much of this is wasted through silly, pointless sub-plots and lame, pretentious directing and editing. Instead of just telling the story, writer-director John Ridley throws in random cuts and scenes that go nowhere and add nothing to the movie.All this unnecessary stuff ruins not only the focus of the movie, but also the pacing. The movie starts stutteringly enough but at a point seems to get into a groove. At this point you think it is about to get better, but soon you have one of the random distractions, wrecking the flow. And so it goes for the entire movie. As soon as you have a meaty, interesting passage of play it is derailed by something frivolous. Makes it incredibly difficult to get into the movie, and is very frustrating.On the upside, the performances are pretty good. Andrew Benjamin (Andre 3000) does a good job as Hendrix, capturing his mannerisms, speech and general outlook quite well. Good support from Hayley Atwell as his psycho girlfriend and Imogen Poots as Linda Keith.