Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story
2000 made-for-television film about the Monkees
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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.[2][3]
by Harold Bronson
| 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
Canada |
| 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 |
|
| Budget | $3.2 million[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | VH1 |
| Release | June 28, 2000 |
Cast
- George Stanchev as Davy Jones[2][4]
- L. B. Fisher as Peter Tork[2]
- Jeff Geddis as Mike Nesmith[2]
- Aaron Lohr as Micky Dolenz[2]
- Colin Ferguson as Van Foreman[2]
- Stephen Bogaert as Harris Green[2]
- Wallace Langham as Don Kirshner[2]
- Polly Shannon as Phyllis Nesmith[5]
- Jim Thorburn as Derek
- Christopher Crumb as John Lennon[3]
- Jason Knight as Paul McCartney[3]
- Tony Springer as Jimi Hendrix[3]
- Matthew Schmelzle as Jack Nicholson[3]
Production
In 1994, Rhino Records acquired the Monkees property and associated media from Raybert Productions.[6] According to Harold Bronson, co-founder of Rhino Records, Vin Di Bona Productions expressed interest in making a TV biopic about the Monkees for VH1 in 1998. Bronson opted to produce the project himself under Rhino Films and approached VH1 executive Mike Larkin with the idea, who suggested Rhino work with TV movie producer Howard Braunstein.[7]
Before filming began, Michael Nesmith's lawyer sent Bronson a letter threatening legal action in regards to Nesmith's "off-screen life being depicted in the movie".[8]
Wallace Langham, who played Don Kirshner, was cast by VH1 and was paid $70,000 "for a week of work".[9] Davy Jones wanted to play his own father in the film, and was offered $35,000 for one day's shooting, but declined the role after requesting twice the amount, which the production was reluctant to pay.[10]
George Stanchev, who played Davy, was almost not cast in the film because Stanchev's resume listed his height as 5'10", eight inches taller than Jones was in real life, and three inches above the producers' specified height limit for the role. Stanchev said the figure was a "wild guess".[11]
Production began in Canada in March 2000 and lasted four weeks.[1] Filming took place in Toronto.[4] Various sets were reused from the Canadian TV series Riverdale.[1] The concert sequence was filmed at Copps Coliseum. Location shooting took place at Lake Ontario and in Breton.[1] According to Bronson, director Neill Fearnley wanted to keep the Monkees' hairstyles consistent in the movie to save time during filming.[12]
Reception
Ramin 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."[4] 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."[13]
David Dewitt of The New York Times wrote that "The film's strong acting and thematic focus trump its sometimes sketchy and formulaic dialogue."[2] 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."[14]