Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story

*Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story*
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	George Stanchev; L. B. Fisher; Jeff Geddis; Aaron Lohr;
Music by	Fred Mollin
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Marilyn Stonehouse; Howard Braunstein;
Producer	Susan Murdoch
Production location	Toronto
Cinematography	David A. Makin
Editor	Stephen Lawrence
Running time	92 minutes
Production companies	Pebblehut Productions; Rhino Films;
Original release
Network	VH1
Release	June 28, 2000

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]

Cast

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

Filming took place in Toronto.^[3]

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."^[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]