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Rodney Bingenheimer, Cher, Courtney Love, Nancy Sinatra, David Bowie ... see more see more... , Alice Cooper , Phil Spector , Kim Fowley , Lance Loud , Oasis , Coldplay

When Rodney Bingenheimer was just a teenager -- a diminutive, long-haired kid who was picked on a lot -- his mother, a divorced autograph hound, dropped him off in front of the home of actress Connie ... read more read more...Stevens and essentially said, "Good luck." Stevens was on location shooting a movie and Bingenheimer says he didn't see his mother again for five or six years after that. The Mayor of the Sunset Strip, a documentary by George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse), tracks Bingenheimer's rise from the 1960s, when he was a groupie -- eventually landing his first show-business job as a double for Davy Jones on The Monkees -- through stints as a successful club owner and influential DJ to his current status as a fading musical icon. The film takes us from the innocent pop of Brian Wilson and Sonny & Cher through the raucous heyday of L.A.'s punk scene and beyond. Hickenlooper also delves into Bingenheimer's relationships, showing him mourning his neglectful and unbalanced, but beloved, mother and visiting with his father, who never attempted to make contact with Bingenheimer after his mother abandoned him. He also pines for a close friend, Camille Chancery, and helps out a seemingly hopeless middle-aged wannabe rock star, Ronald Vaughan. While Bingenheimer used his skills as a consummate hanger-on and his genuine enthusiasm for rock & roll to become a central figure in the L.A. music scene for a couple of decades and is lauded in the film for his good taste and good nature by celebrities from Cher to David Bowie to Gwen Stefani, his current life is shown to be somewhat sad and lonely. The Mayor of the Sunset Strip is chock full of cameos and features a star-studded soundtrack. It was shown at the 2003 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Flixster Users

67% liked it

1,546 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

75 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: George Hickenlooper

Release Date: March 26, 2004

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DVD Release Date: August 17, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (83)

  • SirPant
    February 16, 2011
    SirPant
    Rodney Bingenheimer is more of a 'lucky charm to the stars' rather than a 'fame-fucker' like the detestable sexual vampire that is Pamela Des Barres or the egomaniac with a questionable past that is Kim Fowley - Although I quite like Fowley, he's just not as nice as Bingenheimer.... read more Bingenheimer has both the temperament and mannerisms of Andy Warhol and he also is the epitome of Warhol's philosophy, 'famous for 15 minutes' if you will. This is an interesting look into the world of a man who hung around with music legends and possibly influenced them to a degree. It's hard not to like the film because Bingenheimer himself is just so likable.
  • paulsandberg
    February 8, 2010
    paulsandberg
    what an odd duck of a doc.
    Following around this odd charactor who somehow managed to get in with the in crowd back in the 60's - full of so many flat moments (the father and stepmother scenes are enough to make you grind your teeth to nubs; and yes I understand that it is a j... read moreuxtaposition shining a light on social whatsits - but a little goes a very long way!).

    I'm sure that patching together all the archival footage of Rodney hanging out with EVERYBODY who was somebody was a daunting task - but really, these glimses and interviews with the famous are the only interesting bits.

    Following Rodney to England as he castes his mother's ashes to the sea, and then the final "what do you want the ending of the film to be" question, are just.... too personal and really not rewarding at all - kind of like the film itself.

    There are too many moments where the camera focuses on Rodney as he says... nothing! The scenes with his girlfriend (who stares at the camera as if it's her mortal enemy) are creepy - he talks about her as if she isn't there, and then when she finally speaks it's to inform one and all that she and Rodney are just friends and that she has a "boyfriend" - it all comes off so shallow, especially in light of how the film set her up as the light of his life.

    The insights about the music/radio business were just perfect however - what a dog eat dog industry - and I will give Rodney credit that, in this day and age where it's all about payola (money given by the record companies to get air time for a band), he seemed to rise above it - creating superstars simply because he liked what he heard - altruistic and the way it should be - but sadly is not.

    It's sad how he now seems to be religated to the back burner - as if the scene has passed him by - the corporate scene perhaps, but not the musical one - and that's what he apparantly is staying true to.

    An odd film about an odd man.
  • alush1
    May 26, 2008
    alush1
    This is a haunting documentary about Rodney Biggenheimer's life on the fringe of some of the greatest musical artist's careers from the 60's up through the new millenium.After seeing it the first time,I became transfixed by this odd,tragic little man whose life has centered aroun... read mored connecting with celebbrities and particularly musical icons. I watched it mesmerized many,many more times and remained transfixed by his story.

    He was abandoned by his mother as a young teen-actually dropped on the doorstep of a famous actress-to get her autograph.He made his way to the Sunset Strip groupie scene in the 1960's and engratiated himself to some of the most influential musical artists -Bowie,The Rolling Stones,The Monkees,Oasis,No Doubt- the list goes on and on.

    One viewing will blow your mind-as the musical backdrop is so rich and varied-encapsulating decades of the evolution of Rock.Subsequent viewings are recommended to explore the psyche of this man-child who is actually credited with bolstering the careers of some of the most influential musicians in rock music.

    A poignant,unbelievable story of a little nobody who spent his whole life defining himself in relation to the celebrities with whom he associated.
  • HeroPK
    April 7, 2011
    HeroPK
    A doc about a common man on the fringe rubbing elbows with many, now, famous musicians. If you a fan of music I would watch this since that is the real star of this movie. They take you from the mid sixties with bands like the beatles, david bowie to when clod play and oasis w... read moreere breaking bands. A slice a music history.
  • donibscott
    September 28, 2009
    donibscott
    This was unreal. This little man helped make so many bands, and got no where for himself. It was amazing! If you like music, you will LOVE this.

View All Mayor of the Sunset Strip Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Rechtshaffen
August 10, 2004
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

Has a commercial reach that goes beyond local hero worship thanks in part to an all-star lineup of interviewees, including Cher, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Gwen Stefani and Courtney Love, to name just ...

Roger Moore
May 21, 2004
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Captures Bingenheimer in all his celeb-fondling glory. But it's a forlorn sight, one the film doesn't turn away from as it arcs from giddy inclusion to lonely pathos. Full Review

David Edelstein
May 6, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

Creepily entertaining. Full Review

Richard Harrington
April 30, 2004
Richard Harrington, Washington Post

Feels like an elegy for an aging rock pixie.

Geoff Pevere
April 30, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

At first a wryly comic study of a real-life, shag-topped Zelig ... Hickenlooper's nuanced documentary shifts into far deeper and darker emotional territory once it starts revealing Bingenheimer's hear... Full Review

Rick Groen
April 30, 2004
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Occasionally laughable, often sad, and profoundly evocative of the way we live now, adrift in a culture saturated with celebrity and obsessed by fame. Full Review

Wesley Morris
April 30, 2004
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Excellent (if sad) documentary profile. Full Review

Jane Sumner
April 29, 2004
Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News

What gives this its weight and substance is that Mr. Hickenlooper came to see himself in the man whom Nancy Sinatra calls 'Peter Pan in the school of hard knocks.' Full Review

Roger Ebert
April 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Evokes what the Japanese call mono no aware, which refers to the impermanence of life and the bittersweet transience of things. Full Review

Michael Senft
April 22, 2004
Michael Senft, Arizona Republic

Power, control and fame are not the driving forces in [Bingenheimer's] life. He only wants to share the music he loves with as many people as possible.

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