Daydream Believers - The Monkees Story

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A made-for-TV movie originally broadcast on VH1, this film bio of the Monkees casts look-alikes as the first made-for-TV rock band (today's equivalent: O-Town). Told in broad strokes that hit the highlights, the film recounts how a TV producer (played by Colin Ferguson) decided to create a TV version of the Beatles by casting cute actors (musicianship was only a secondary requirement) as rock stars for a weekly comedy series. But surprise--producer Don Kirshner (Wallace Langham) was able to manufacture musical hits and the mock band became a rock band with musical ambitions of its own. The actors who play the Monkees look (but don't sound) like their characters, as do actors who were hired to play the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, among others. Still, with the exception of a little pot-smoking, there's nothing particularly juicy in a tell-all that doesn't tell nearly as much as you'd like. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Good Movie, but what's with the DVD?.......2007-05-27

I saw this movie on VH-1, and I was pleasantly surprised. To be perfectly frank, I thought the movie was going to feature Davy, Davy, Davy, and more Davy (sorry folks, I'm not really a big fan of Davy). I was surprised to learn that Mike had a pretty big part in this. I'm also surprised they included a character of Mike's first wife, Phyllis.

I was very disappointed when I bought the DVD. I had taped it off VH-1 the night it premiered, and then I bought the DVD for a better quality copy. For some reason that I can not begin to figure out, some of the scenes were edited. I had read the rating for this. It was rated PG-13 for drug references, but most of them were cut out. Why they did that, I have no idea.

New Favorite Monkee.......2007-05-03

well, that's what happened when I watched the movie and listened to the commentaries.

Anwyay, it was a great movie, well done, and very interesting. An excellent Bio-drama. I've always been a monkee fan since I was little (during the "revival" in the 80's). I thought I was going to stop breathing when I heard they were putting this out in the summer of 00. LOL. .

Here's my take on the actors potrayal of the mOnkees

Jeff Geddis as Mike Nesmith: Acting: Great. Had the personality, did a good job. People are probably right though when they say he should have had a heavier texas accent. Looks- #1 dead ringer. The only difference was his frame. Nesmith seems to me to be much finer-boned and "scrawnier" than Geddis. But of the four boys, he looked most like his Monkee. Overall a great job in all aspects of potraying Nez.

L.B. Fisher as Peter Tork: I was pleased. Great acting, great potrayal of the REAL Tork (not the one we saw on the show, which was really nothing like his real personality). Looks: Definitely #2 closest look-alike in the show. Great performance. Too bad they couldn't have somehow given him killer dimples. Sigh.. oh well... guess makeup can only do SO much, right?

Aron Lohr as Mickey Dolenz: My favorite potrayal in the movie. Yes, he doesn't look that much like Dolenz, but how easy would it be to find a ringer for Mickey? I mean, come on, Dolenz had one of the most unique faces I've ever seen! You can't really expect them to be able to find a dead ringer. Alot of people complained about the inaccuracy of the hair (season 1 vs Season 2) They say DOlenz should have not been potrayed the whole time in wild curls. I for one am not gong to blame the producers of DDB. I mean, when i was little I thought of Mickey as the "not so good looking" monkee. I now know I was mostly thinking of season 1. His earlier hair style was NOT flattering at ALL. I for one am not going to blame them for not reproducing it. Dolenz's natural wild curls (potrayed in the movie very realistically) were MUCh more suited to that unique face. Anyway, have to say he's #3 in he look-alike ranking. But his acting and potrayal of the Zany monkee is so perfect that you forget his looks and really believe your watching Mickey. Just listen to Dolenz's commentary and you'll see that Lohr got the personality spot on. Sorry Peter, if Mickey had've looked like Lohr, he would have DEFINITELY been my favorite Monkee heartthrob. LOL

Stanchev as Davy Jones. sigh.. That choice is the one thing I wish I could change about this movie. Surely there is SOME cutie short 17 year old (the age Jones actually LOOKED when he was a Monkee) in England that can act as well as Stanchev, and look a whole lot more like Jones. Stanchev did nothing for me. He looked over 30, and as I said, Jones as a monkee could've passed for 17. He wasn't cute at all. You'd think Davy's breathtaking looks (the thing he was so famous for) would be a HIGH priority in casting, but they let us down here. I give him Kudos for replicating Davy's dancing, and that's about it. I guess I got ENOUGH of an impression of shortness from him. too.

So, I reccomend this movie to any Monkee lover or biopic fan. IT's really well scripted, and except for the casting of Jones, it's a great movie anyway. The commentaries are Great. I was always in love with Peter, (to this day I have a thing for killer dimples and a boyish innocent grin) but after listening to all the commentaries and getting an idea of their real personalities, I think I would have enjoyed being around Dolenz alot more. I LOVED his wacky comments, and the way he kept saying "What a great looking kid! Wow, where did they find this kid" in reference to Lohr. LOL one of the other real monkees even said "Mickey must be happy with his casting." Yes, Lohr was kinda hot as the high-energy monkee. Yes, cuter than the Real M.D. But if Dolenz had always had his hair natural, he'd have been alot cuter too, so I'll give him some credit.

OK film, but commentaries make it worthwhile.......2007-04-30

I agonized over what rating to give DAYDREAM BELIEVERS, because while it's fun to watch, it has some serious shortcomings too. To start with some of the positives, it's an enjoyable and decently produced film, and the actors playing the Monkees certainly look and act their parts well. I like too that the decision was made to use the original audio recordings of the group when the actors re-created their musical performances.
However, if you listen to the commentaries on the DVD by the director and three of the Monkees - Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones - you discover that there are a lot of inaccuracies in the film. Some are minor, such as showing all four Monkees together almost all the time, when in reality some were absent in certain situations. But some errors are unforgivable, such as taking a moment of major conflict between Jones and Tork, which actually happened, and creating a totally fictional background for it! However, the consensus seems to be that despite the inaccuracies, the overall gist of the Monkees' story shown here is true. Also, at 91 minutes long, there's a rather rushed feeling to DAYDREAM BELIEVERS, so it mostly just hits the highlights.

The interviews of Jones, Dolenz, and Tork on the DVD are interesting too, and give updates on what the three of them have been up to since the Sixties. The film itself is weak on this, and should at least have dealt with the breakup of the group in 1970, rather than tacking on a fictional "happy ending" and stopping there. In sum, thanks to the commentaries and interviews I recommend this DVD, but without them I would hesitate to. So does it really deserve 4 stars? OK, so it's not a CASABLANCA or a 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but still it's a fun nostaligia trip if you care at all about the Monkees.

Bunch of cheese but aims to please.......2007-03-17

This movie is full of cheese, but cheese that you can enjoy. It even has cheesy characters in it including the bad impersonations of The Beatles and Jack Nickolson. The die hard Monkees fans would be able to spot all the inacuracies, a lot of them being in the scene where they do the video for Daydream Believer. But the biggest inacuracy in the movie is, who in the world is that Van guy? The guys who portray The Monkees do a great job at re-inacting parts from the show. However their personal portrayal of the guys goes as following: horrible Davy, ok Peter, great Micky, and a spot on Mike. Any one would agree that the cheesiest part of the movie is the cheese-filled happy happy happy 60s beach party movie type ending. If you know The Monkees history at all you'd know that the Monkees story didn't end nearly that happy, or happy at all for that matter. The over all movie was pretty good since it did do a good job at telling the true behind the scenes story of The Monkees. All in all if you're a Monkees fan at all and you enjoy cheese then this is a good movie to watch.

Great look alikes, but ended bad........2006-07-23

I began watching the Monkees back in the mid 80's when MTV re-aired their 2 wonderfull seasons. I was hooked. I bought all their albums, books, posters you name it. Anyhow the story played well to what I learned over the years. The actors were perfect. I wish Mike though had been a little more accepting of the situation and just went about there short career as a great way to make a living. But it seemed that his anger passed on over the rest and 2 seasons of The Monkees was all we got. I understand the music issues of wanting to play and to get Kirshner out of there but I really think they could have finished out the decade. The movie shows the Monkees right up to the Movie "Head". What I didn't like was them on the beach laughing like "oh well what a ride but it's over" because it wasn't that way. They did their 33 and 1/3 Revolutions TV show and then Peter split. The movie really doesn't finish up anything. I was expecting to see words on the screen explaing what happens after "Head" and they didn't. Anyone watching this bio would think everything was just peachy after the show ended. I didn't get it at the end there. I did like all the actors like Nicholson and Hendrix. The Beatles were pretty accurate too.

I was always a big Mike fan but that movie really made him look like a jerk. His songs are still my favorites. Too bad "Head" wasn't advertised as a Monkees movie or it may have done better. That's pretty much what killed them. As for this movie it's a great bio of the band and well acted but the end really dissapoints.

Daydream Believers, The Monkees Story & Help! With The Beatles - 2 DVDs In Set

Average customer rating:

Daydream Believers, The Monkees Story & Help! With The Beatles - 2 DVDs In Set

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Daydream Believers, The Monkees Story & Help! With The Beatles - 2 DVDs In Set
Daydream Believers, The Monkees Story DVD
Documentary Movie, 3 Monkees member interviews
Help! With The Beatles
The Beatles

ASIN: B000VKYHIU

Product Description

Daydream Believers, The Monkees Story & Help! With The Beatles - 2 DVDs In Set DVD 1. THE MONKEES: POP/ROCK GROUP DOCUMENTARY - 1965, producers Bert Schneider & Bob Rafaelson creating a TV show that would feature the American answer to the Beatles, The Monkees. 4 young men are chosen for the roles, Mickey Dolenz: former child TV star, Davey Jones: stage actor, and Mike Nesmith & Peter Tork : both musicians. With a successful music producer & able TV promotion, the Monkees become a musical & TV sensation. However, that success is tainted, to the chagrin of the band, as they find themselves labeled as talentless phonies. This film covers the band's frustrating struggle to prove their detractors wrong as they struggle to earn some artistic legitimacy.BONUS: Audio & Video commentaries & interviews with Mickey,Peter & Davey & Director Neill Fearnley, Trailers, Cast Biographies, Preview Attractions. DVD 2. Help! With The Beatles: MUSICAL /SPY SATIRE SPOOF BY THE BEATLES-Stop worrying! HELP! is on the way! The Beatles 2nd film has an obscure Indian cult of Kali that believes in human sacrifice after Ringo who has accidentally put on the victim's ceremonial ring. He is pursued by the Indian cult of Kali, a pair of mad scientists, & a member of a side cult that no longer believes in human sacrifice and the London police who are trying to help!Includes:Leo Mckern, Kali cult leader, in his sari, drinking tea & discussing his religious beliefs with an Anglican priest. Of the Beatles, John and Ringo have most of the funny lines & exaggerates the idea of George being tight with his money:playing poker with Ringo at Buckingham Palace, pilfering rings from a jeweler, making Ringo to pick up the tab at a pub. Songs hat "Help!(& The Movie's Title Song) popularized are You're Gonna Lose That Girl, Ticket to Ride,You've Got to Hide Your Love Away,The Night Before, Another Girl!

Average customer rating:

An awesome film great for the fans
I love this little movie!

Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story
Director: Neill Fearnley
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

In 1966, producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafaelson come up with the idea of creating a TV show that would feature the American answer to the Beatles, The Monkees. Eventually, four young men are chosen for the roles, Mickey Dolenz the former child TV star, the stage actor Davey Jones and the musicians, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork. With the aid of a successful music producer and able TV promotion, the Monkees become a sensation. However, that success is tainted, to the chagrin of the band, as they find themselves labeled as talentless phonies. This film covers the band's frustrating struggle to prove their detractors wrong as they struggle to earn some artist legitimacy. Whether it's by learning to excel as a band or experimenting with wild ideas for their show and film, Head, nothing seems to work. Meanwhile the band have their internal tensions as various members struggle to decide what is really important to them, simple material success, or having real artistic respect for their work?

Customer Reviews:

An awesome film great for the fans.......2007-03-05

This movie is great if you are a fan or not, however if you are a fan you will appreciate just how great the actors are, they really made great monkees. I agree that it ended campy and kind of sudden, if you listen to the audio commentry by the original monkees apart from the ending the whole story is correct and close to the real story, so that is a bonus. In anycase it is a charming story and movie and a must for anyone interested in the monkees story. I personally watch it quite alot and never get bored with it. ENJOY---------bjorn picard.

I love this little movie!.......2007-02-08

It's not really long enough, and it has an abrupt, too commercial-ly ending, but it's just SO CUTE & CHARMING! The guy who played Davey was great, but should have started out w/ shorter hair, then let it grow long, like Davey really did-and the guy who played Mickey was awesome, too, but Mickey started out w/ straight hair, not curly until season 2. (he did an AWESOME job pantomoming "I'm a Believer!")
The guy who played Peter was a little too cute for the part, but still did wonderful. The guy who played Mike, tho, really NAILED it! He looked & acted SO much like the original! I grew up luvin the Monkees, tho I was just a little girl, and I'll always have a crush on 'em, especially Davey & Pete. MONKEES RULE!

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