Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story is a 2000 American biographical drama television film about the rock and pop band the Monkees. Directed by Neill Fearnley and written by Ron McGee, the film is based on the 1996 book Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees by Harold Bronson. It stars George Stanchev as Davy Jones, L. B. Fisher as Peter Tork, Jeff Geddis as Michael Nesmith, and Aaron Lohr as Micky Dolenz. It premiered on VH1 on June 28, 2000.[1][2]
| Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Biographical drama |
| Based on | Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees by Harold Bronson |
| Teleplay by | Ron McGee |
| Directed by | Neill Fearnley |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Fred Mollin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Susan Murdoch |
| Production location | Toronto |
| Cinematography | David A. Makin |
| Editor | Stephen Lawrence |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | VH1 |
| Release | June 28, 2000 |
Cast
edit- George Stanchev as Davy Jones[1][3]
- L. B. Fisher as Peter Tork[1]
- Jeff Geddis as Mike Nesmith[1]
- Aaron Lohr as Micky Dolenz[1]
- Colin Ferguson as Van Foreman[1]
- Stephen Bogaert as Harris Green[1]
- Wallace Langham as Don Kirshner[1]
- Polly Shannon as Phyllis Nesmith[4]
- Jim Thorburn as Derek
- Christopher Crumb as John Lennon[2]
- Jason Knight as Paul McCartney[2]
- Tony Springer as Jimi Hendrix[2]
- Matthew Schmelzle as Jack Nicholson[2]
Production
editReception
editRamin Zahed of Variety commended "the production for discovering four actors who are close replicas of the original Davy, Mike, Micky and Peter", and wrote that, "While Daydream Believers does not offer any deep insights or shape three-dimensional characters, it is successful in re-creating the goofy look and charms of the original NBC show."[3] Tom Jicha of Sun-Sentinel wrote that "Daydream Believers is even hokier as a movie than the Monkees were as a group. However, approached with moderate expectations, it can be mindless summer fun."[5]
David Dewitt of The New York Times wrote that "The film's strong acting and thematic focus trump its sometimes sketchy and formulaic dialogue."[1] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade of "D+", calling the acting "fine" and the screenplay "tin-eared and full of missed opportunities."[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dewitt, David (June 28, 2000). "Television Review; Fakers Who Realize That They're the Real Thing". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Boedeker, Hal (June 28, 2000). "Hey, Hey These Are the Monkees?". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c Zahed, Ramin (June 28, 2000). "Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Strong, Martin C.; Griffin, Brendon (2008). Lights, Camera, Soundtracks: The Ultimate Guide to Popular Music in the Movies. Canongate Books. p. 84. ISBN 978-184767-021-2.
- ^ Jicha, Tom (June 28, 2000). "VH1 Manages to Out-Hoke the Monkees". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (June 30, 2000). "Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 11, 2020.