MY DINNER WITH JIMI (Bill Fishman). 90 minutes. Screens Friday (December 7) at the Bloor and each Friday in December. Rating: NN
Been wondering what became of Justin Henry, the kid from Kramer Vs. Kramer? Neither have we, but you can catch him playing the role of the Turtles’ Howard Kaylan in the no-budget rockumentary My Dinner With Jimi.
From the title, you might think it’s all about Jimi Hendrix, which would’ve been a great idea, but this Kaylan-penned visual memoir, directed by Bill Fishman (Tapeheads), is actually more about the Turtles’ snooze-inducing rise to fame than the exciting guitar god.
Using fifth-rate actors in wigs who look nothing like the famous rock stars they’re portraying, Kaylan’s hazy reminiscence plays out like a Summer-of-Love version of Yacht Rock without the funny bits. Even Turtles fans may have a difficult time staying awake through this cheesy ordeal were it not for the angry shouting of Hendrix heads demanding refunds.
