Wordiezett So much average

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

kevin olzak Being a true Monkees buff, I'd have to say that, after one gets over the inaccuracies in the script, the filmmakers couldn't have done a better job. Unmentioned in previous reviews is the all-consuming egomania displayed by Colgems music president Don Kirshner, who made so much money during his 9-10 months in charge that his casual dismissal of the four individual Monkees is nothing less than petty (to the end of his life, he always insisted on total credit for their success). The script manages to incorporate just about all the most famous names associated with the group: songwriters (Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Carole King, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart), and performers (The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Nicholson). The four actors were all praiseworthy, particularly L. B. Fisher's Tork, who conveys that inner essence the show rarely allowed. The three others basically played extensions of themselves, but Peter had to play a kind of 'Harpo Marx/Stan Laurel' composite, not so much 'the dummy,' as he himself described it, but simply the trusting, naïve innocent, which of course he definitely was not. George Stanchev really nails Davy's moves, and probably bears the strongest physical resemblance to his namesake (amazingly, neither of these two actors worked beyond 2003). Jeff Geddis gets the full portrait of Nesmith, who wasn't as volatile as this suggests, nor apologetic, simply an ambitious young man who saw the TV series as a means to an end. Of course, he had the most experience in the studio (both as a writer and producer), and did encourage the others to compose their own songs. Aaron Lohr's Micky isn't as good as the others, but to be fair it appears he had less to work with, scriptwise; Micky Dolenz was such an enormous talent in front and behind the camera, that to this day his remains one of the most recognized voices of the 1960s. Rather than carp on what's missing, consider how the existence of this modest little biopic shot in Canada is not just a boon for The Monkees themselves, but a nice introduction for younger viewers unfamiliar with the phenomenon (forget 1987's The New Monkees). Actual Monkees recordings used: "(Theme from) The Monkees," "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer," "Daydream Believer," "I Wanna Be Free," and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," the latter two actual live performances from the band's 1967 summer tour (heck, the only essential one missing really is "Pleasant Valley Sunday"). "All of Your Toys" was a Bill Martin composition that earned the distinction of being their very first studio recording as a band (Jan 16 1967), but due to it not being a Screen Gems copyright remained in the can until 1987's MISSING LINKS release. As an added bonus, used during their meeting with The Beatles, is "(All in the) All in All," from the 1998 disc RE-ZOOM by The Knack, a group that was ballyhooed in 1979 ("My Sharona," "Good Girls Don't") as being 'Beatlesque,' and once you hear it you'll understand why.

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- Daydream Belivers: The Monkees, 2000. Four struggling actors/musicians in Hollywood get the break they wanted and become a fan generation's center of attention through a comedy TV show, several records, excellent management, and their music in the 60's.*Special Stars- George Stanchev, L.B. Fisher, Jeff Geddis, Aaron Lohr.*Theme- Knowing and being true to yourself is often difficult.*Trivia/location/goofs- TV narrative movie (not a documentary), Filmed in Toronto, Canada. A tribute film. The hair styles and costumes of the lead actors are not correct or consistent in this film. The beach scenes are ironically not shot in California, but Canada.*Emotion- An uncanny look-alike portrayal of The Monkees band members through their rise to fame and fall. This film is mediocre at best due to it's unsurprising script plot elements.

Libretio DAYDREAM BELIEVERS: THE MONKEES' STORY Aspect ratio: 1.33:1Sound format: StereoThe 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.

shaynie *shudders* Yes anything that starts "Well I thought..." Should be shot. But hey..we can all deal with this right?I've read a few of the comments and they are very mixed.I, personally, enjoyed this movie. It may not have been a *perfect* representation of the Monkees lives but that may be almost impossible. The Monkees themselves still continue to exist and make history as they go. The movie was made to be different, something fun that represented a band that made an impact on the world while still being credible in the shadow of the Beatles.The beginning scene was to set the stage of the movie, to add some sort of 90's "influence" in the movie. Perhaps if not overly involved the worlds pop culture at this point it may have been slightly confusing *shrugs*I'm not sure. But I do have to say...I believe they were all amazing in their parts...they were type casted to an extent and they fit their roles well. Aaron played an amazing Micky, George a very good Davey (and even tho he's a lot taller then Davey was well hey...I'm really not going to fault him that), L B Fisher I believe was a great Peter... Awesome on that and I think I was predisposed to dislike Jeff who played my least favourite Monkee, Mike...which means he, too, did his part quite well.I enjoyed the movie...that's all I'm saying..so will ye nil ye...give it a chance :p