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1968, Movie, G, 85 mins

Head: Review

After the demise of their TV show, the Monkees brought their particular brand of musical madness to the screen under the direction of Bob Rafelson (FIVE EASY PIECES; THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS; BLACK WIDOW), who also played a key role in putting the group together for television and, with Jack Nicholson, cowrote the script for this quasi-underground film. The result is a visually daring cinematic game that is virtually plotless and better off for being so. Rafelson takes the Monkees through a variety of adventures both on location and on movie lots, where he and the Prefab Four satirize a variety of movie genres. Among the plentiful guest stars are Victor Mature, whose hair the mini-Monkees invest with dandruff; ex-heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston as an extra who climbs into the ring with Jones; Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, former Green Bay Packer linebacker Ray Nitschke, famed San Francisco stripper Carol Doda, and the then-unknown Teri Garr. A fun collection of old movie clips is also included, featuring Ronald Reagan, Bela Lugosi, Charles Laughton, Ann Miller, and Rita Hayworth. The Monkees deliver the songs, "Circle Sky" (Michael Nesmith), "Can You Dig It," "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again" (Peter Tork), "Daddy's Song" (Nilsson), "As We Go Along" (Carole King, Toni Stern), and "The Porpoise Song" (Carole King, Gerry Goffin). leave a comment