Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story

{{Short description|2000 made-for-television film about the Monkees}}

{{Redirect|Daydream Believers|other uses|Daydream Believer (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox television

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| genre = Biographical drama

| director = Neill Fearnley

| based_on = {{based on|Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees|Harold Bronson}}

| teleplay = Ron McGee

| starring = {{Plainlist|

George Stanchev
L. B. Fisher
Jeff Geddis
Aaron Lohr

}}

| music = Fred Mollin

| country = United States

| language = English

| location = Toronto

| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|

Marilyn Stonehouse
Howard Braunstein

}}

| producer = Susan Murdoch

| cinematography = David A. Makin

| editor = Stephen Lawrence

| company = {{Plainlist|

Pebblehut Productions
Rhino Films

}}

| network = VH1

| released = {{Start date|2000|06|28}}

| runtime = 92 minutes

| budget =

}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/28/arts/television-review-fakers-who-realize-that-they-re-the-real-thing.html|title=Television Review; Fakers Who Realize That They're the Real Thing|last=Dewitt|first=David|date=June 28, 2000|website=The New York Times|access-date=October 11, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2000-06-28-0006270332-story.html|title=Hey, Hey These Are the Monkees?|last=Boedeker|first=Hal|date=June 28, 2000|website=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=October 11, 2020}}

Cast

{{Cast list|

George Stanchev as Davy Jones{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2000/tv/reviews/daydream-believers-the-monkees-story-1117787474/|title=Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story|last=Zahed|first=Ramin|date=June 28, 2000|website=Variety|access-date=October 11, 2020}}
L. B. Fisher as Peter Tork
Jeff Geddis as Mike Nesmith
Aaron Lohr as Micky Dolenz
Colin Ferguson as Van Foreman
Stephen Bogaert as Harris Green
Wallace Langham as Don Kirshner
Polly Shannon as Phyllis Nesmith{{cite book|last1=Strong|first1=Martin C.|last2=Griffin|first2=Brendon|date=2008|title=Lights, Camera, Soundtracks: The Ultimate Guide to Popular Music in the Movies|publisher=Canongate Books|page=84|isbn=978-184767-021-2}}
Jim Thorburn as Derek
Christopher Crumb as John Lennon
Jason Knight as Paul McCartney
Tony Springer as Jimi Hendrix
Matthew Schmelzle as Jack Nicholson

}}

Production

Filming took place in Toronto.

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." 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."{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2000-06-28-0006270342-story.html|title=VH1 Manages to Out-Hoke the Monkees|last=Jicha|first=Tom|date=June 28, 2000|website=Sun-Sentinel|access-date=October 11, 2020}}

David Dewitt of The New York Times wrote that "The film's strong acting and thematic focus trump its sometimes sketchy and formulaic dialogue." 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."{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/06/30/daydream-believers-monkees-story/|title=Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story|last=Tucker|first=Ken|date=June 30, 2000|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=October 11, 2020}}