Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story

Okay, I must confess that this movie is more like a fanfiction than a real biography, but it based on "Hey Hey We're The Monkees", by Harold Bronson and the same named Interview Special. The guys who played the Monkees did a very good job (and it was a hard one!) and so did the people who produced the film, although they didn't have much time or money to do the movie. Sure the wigs DO look ridiculous and sure there ARE lots of mistakes in the film, but the feeling of the sixties shines through it. L.B. Fisher was excellent as Peter Tork, Jeff Geddis portrayed Mike Nesmith very good (especially the rage of fury!), George Stanchev must have practiced Davy's dancing very hard and sometimes I thought Aaron Lohr WAS Micky Dolenz. And by the way: These guys are just cute and absolute adorable!

This movie was an enjoyable watch; missed it the first time but caught it on Netflix recently. The resemblance of the actors to the real Monkees is amazing, particularly Davy (George Stanchev, although much taller than the real Davy) and Peter (L.B. Fisher). Although Mike Nesmith (Jeff Geddis) and Micky Dolenz (Aaron Lohr) were not exact lookalikes,they gave stunning portrayals. For example, Geddis' mannerisms and Texan accent were spot on. And Lohr's portrayal of Dolenz' over-the-top on-stage performances and his crazy facial expressions, mimicry, etc. brought back fond memories. All of the actors took great care in portraying each of The Monkees' individual personalities. Even their voices were soundalikes (although British viewers say that Stanchev's accent was not an authentic Manchester accent). Although the television show was depicted accurately, the writing for the entire movie was very poor; something was missing. SPOILER: For example, the Beatles threw a party for the Monkees when they were touring in London. This entire scene (which should have been exciting) was boring. All in all, this was a fond tribute to The Monkees but it could have been exceptional.

DAYDREAM BELIEVERS: THE MONKEES' STORY

Aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Sound format: Stereo

The rise and fall of a manufactured pop group - America's answer to The Beatles - who struggled to be taken seriously as bona fide musicians.

Appropriately for a band as airbrushed and stage-managed as The Monkees, Neill Fearnley's entertaining biopic is equally airbrushed and stage-managed, dispensing with unpleasant reality (for the most part) in favor of feel-good party tricks. Ron McGee's innocuous teleplay (based on Harold Bronson's book 'Hey Hey We're the Monkees') sketches the group's history in broad narrative strokes, from the audition which brought Davy (George Stanchev), Micky (Aaron Lohr), Peter (L.B.Fisher) and Mike (Jeff Geddis) together, to the international success of their madcap TV show (used as little more than a marketing tool) and their subsequent disillusionment, sparked by management's refusal to allow them greater creative input. Events are depicted in pastel shades, rather like the TV show, but without the laughs. Peter is shown smoking pot, and the guys' bickering descends into chaos as the band falls apart (they disbanded in 1970), but the script refuses to take risks, which means viewers are short-changed by a lack of historical accuracy: For example, there's no mention of the resentment caused when Peter Tork became the first to jump ship in 1969, only a bittersweet ending which barely mentions their break-up at all.

Fans will be astonished by the physical resemblance of the actors to their real-life counterparts (except for Lohr, whose similarity to Micky Dolenz is superficial at best), and their impersonations are equally remarkable, especially during the lengthy musical interludes (including a meticulous recreation of the famous 'Daydream Believer' promo, and the opening montage of the TV show), all realized with startling accuracy. If nothing else, however, "Daydream Believers..." reminds us that The Monkees produced some of the most enduring pop songs of the 1960's (including 'Last Train to Clarksville', 'I'm a Believer' and the excellent 'All of Your Toys'), reproduced here in their entirety (the actors mime to original recordings). Devotees will either be outraged or enthralled.

NB. 'Jack Nicholson' and 'John Lennon' turn up in brief cameos, both played by uncredited actors.

I didn't really know what to expect when I tuned into VH1 for their latest BioPic. After spending a day with Monkees episodes and then the Behind the Music, I was curious what it would be like to have "fake-Monkees" on the screen. What I found was an interesting film. The individual performances were 75% acceptable... I was actually awe-struck while watching L.B. Fisher portray Peter Tork. I think just about everyone has to admit that he certainly nailed his role. Aaron Lohr pulled Micky off alright. His hair was a little too curly, but that's forgivable, right? Jeff Geddis was a convincing Mike. Especially during the audition scenes. I actually believe he had the timing and the movements exactly correct, or at least very nearly. Now, for the not-so-pleasantly-reviewed-actor. George Stanchev may be a fine actor, but I don't think he was well suited for Davy. For one, he was too tall; Two, the accent.. ouch; and thirdly the cleft in his chin grabbed more attention than his acting. Agree? Disagree? Oh well. Did anyone else notice the green sign that read "Davy is Groovy" in *every* concert sequence? I found that kind of endearing, actually, the budget really must have been quite low, but I can deal with that.

Save the Texas Prairie Chicken!

As a movie, <i>Daydream Believers</i> seemed rather hastily put together, especially in terms of the script.  This is, perhaps, not the most informative or accurate bit you'll ever see about the Monkees.  However, the movie succeeds in telling a good story and championing the Monkees for their talent as entertainers <i>and</i> as musicians, as well as explaining with clarity some of the things about the Monkees that are commonly misunderstood.  It receives bonus points for very good casting, and for prominently featuring “All of Your Toys,” one of the Monkees’ great “lost” songs (and among the first the Monkees recorded together as a real band).

Where the movie is good, the DVD is great—not for any spectacular audio/video presentation, but in the extras.  Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork each have their own commentary tracks, on which they discuss various points on Monkee history from their own points-of-view.  These are very revealing and informative, and bless the movie for providing the platform for the Monkees to comment on the types of things that never come up in interviews.  But if you want interviews, the DVD also delivers rather lengthy ones by the three participating Monkees.  New Concorde should be commended for getting Monkee participation on this disc.  It transformed a somewhat inconsequential (albeit entertaining) movie into something really worthwhile.