Year: 2010
Director: Tom Dicilo
Country: US
Language: English
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist of The Doors, was excited when he heard that Tom Dicilo (Delirious) would be directing a documentary film about his former band. He stated "This will be the true story of the Doors," and that the film will be "the anti-Oliver Stone," referring to Stone's 1991 film that left a sour taste in surviving members' mouths. Door guitarist Robby Krieger watched the film and decided that it was the definitive version of The Doors' story.
This is a look at the late '60s and early '70s rock band The Doors, specifically Jim Morrison, and includes rare exclusive footage.
When You're Strange is a mixed bag for me; on one hand it must be praised for using footage of The Doors that most fans have never seen & it also must be commended for sticking to a more historically accurate account of the time period. On another hand the narration by Johnny Depp is atrocious; his flat monotone voice, which I guess is supposed to add a layer of "weird" to the story, nearly put me to sleep. The script he was given is equally bad; much of the time he makes pointless obvious observations that add no real value to the images playing onscreen.
The film rejects any modern day interviews of living band members which would have given more context to the events that unfolded. Granted, When You're Strange, isn't about anybody else in the band, just Jim Morrison. It's entire goal is to romanticize the alcoholic who died too young from drinking too much alcohol.
I find it strange how we make icons out of boozing bozos (even though I do like his music), "for some he was a poet" and therefore I like Oliver Stone's The Doors the best as it presents Jim Morrison as a raging unstable asshole. When You're Strange is somewhat worthwhile for unique "behind the scenes" footage, but I can't give a high recommendation because the narration is more boring than watching paint dry.
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