My Dinner with Jimi

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My Dinner with Jimi Photos

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Movie Info

Although he later received notoriety as a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and as half of the duo Flo & Eddie, Howard Kaylan is likely best remembered as the lead singer of the 1960s pop band the Turtles. It is this period of his life that Kaylan illustrates in his autobiographical screenplay for My Dinner With Jimi. Beginning right before the band hit it big with their single "Happy Together," the film follows Kaylan (played here by Justin Henry from Kramer vs. Kramer) as he and his bandmates struggle through gigs at small clubs and spend their free time hanging out in a deli, discussing the draft with Jim Morrison (Bret Roberts), Mama Cass (Lisa Brounstein), and Zappa (Adam Tomei). When their song hits number one on the charts, the Turtles head out to tour England, where they catch up with their old friend Graham Nash (Chris Soldevilla). Nash takes the band to a club where they meet the Beatles and Kaylan has a lengthy chat with John Lennon (Brian Groh). Further cementing his rapid transformation from fan to star, Kaylan is then introduced to Jimi Hendrix (Royale Watkins), leading to the titular dinner. Featuring a supporting cast led by George Wendt, John Corbett, and Curtis Armstrong, My Dinner With Jimi was directed by Bill Fishman, best known for his cult-classic directorial debut, 1988's Tapeheads.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Drama
Directed By:

Bill Fishman
Written By:

Howard Kaylan
In Theaters:

Feb 16, 2003 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jun 23, 2009
Runtime:

90 minutes
Studio:

Rhino Entertainment

Cast

Justin Henry
as Howard Kaylan

Royale Watkins
as Jimi Hendrix

Jason Boggs
as Mark Volman

George Wendt
as Bill Uttley

Brett Gilbert
as John Barbata

Sean Maysonet
as Jim 'Tucko' Tucker

Kevin Cotteleer
as Jim Pons

Georges Stanchev
as Al Nichol

George Stanchev
as Al Nichol

Jay Michael Ferguson
as Brian Jones

Brian Groh
as John Lennon

Quinton Flynn
as Paul McCartney

Ben Bode
as Ringo Starr

Nate Dushku
as George Harrison

Lisa Brounstein
as Mama Cass

John Corbett
as Henry Diltz

Bret Roberts
as Jim Morrison

Allison Lange
as Mary

Wendie Jo Sperber
as Louella

Adam Tomei
as Frank Zappa

Curtis Armstrong
as Herb Cohen

Taylor Negron
as Psychiatrist

Chris Elwood
as Justin Hayward

Todd Lowe
as John Lodge

Chris Soldevilla
as Graham Nash

Robert Patrick Benedict
as Donovan

Jill Marie Simon
as Jane Asher

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Critic Reviews for My Dinner with Jimi

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (2) | Rotten (3)

More a collection of dubiously myth-serving, purple-hazed '60s' sketches than anything else.

Dec 7, 2007 | Rating: 1.5/4

Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic
Sweet and warm but not particularly profound.

Dec 7, 2007 | Rating: 2/4

Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic
We can groan over those terrible wigs all we want, but by the end of the picture, we're still taken in by Kaylan's dizzying story.

Aug 28, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

David Cornelius
DVDTalk.com
Great fun, an old hippie's anecdote brought to life.

Dec 7, 2007 | Rating: 3/5

Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies