Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Neill Fearnley

Writer:

Ron McGee (teleplay)

Release Date:

28 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

They achieved worldwide fame but, what they wanted... was respect.

Plot:

The story of the Pre-Fab Four and their fight to be taken seriously as musicians.

Plot Keywords:

The Monkees | Musician | Television Network | Music Industry | Behind The Scenes

Cast

George Stanchev	...	Davy Jones
L.B. Fisher	...	Peter Tork
Jeff Geddis	...	Mike Nesmith
Aaron Lohr	...	Micky Dolenz
Colin Ferguson	...	Van Foreman
Wallace Langham	...	Don Kirshner
Stephen Bogaert	...	Harris Green
Polly Shannon	...	Phyllis Nesmith
Jim Thorburn	...	Derek
Sarah Lafleur	...	Carla (as Sarah LaFleur)
Toby Proctor	...	Auditioner #1
Balázs Koós	...	Beatnik Friend (as Balasz Kooks)
Jeffrey R. Smith	...	Auditioner #2 (as Jeff Smith)
Joe Matheson	...	Drunk Businessman
Charlotte Leonard	...	Young Girlfriend #1

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for drug content.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG-13 (Number 38644)

Filming Locations:

Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC)

Trivia:

One scene shows a person using Liquid Paper to correct sheet music. Liquid Paper was invented by Michael Nesmith's mother.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While The Beatles did throw a party in The Monkees' honor, neither Mike nor Davy attended

Quotes:

Micky Dolenz: Guys, it's not like it's personal, I mean dozens of pilots go unsold every year.
Davy Jones: Well, after this I'm done.
Peter Tork: Are you going back to England?
Davy Jones: Yeah, why not? Being a jockey is what I really wanted to be
Mike Nesmith: Well, you're definately the right size for it.
Davy Jones: For your information, I'm rather tall for horse racing.
Peter Tork: The horses are shorter in England.

Movie Connections:

References "The Monkees: I've Got a Little Song Here (#1.12)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

I'm A Believer

Fair biopic sacrifices historical accuracy

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.