Cult Flops - Head

Columbia Pictures, 1968
Starring The Monkees (Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones), Victor Mature, Timothy Carey, and Annette Funicello
Directed by Bob Rafelson
Music by various

First of all, a huge thanks to my good friend Linda Young, who designed the new backgrounds and lettering. I think she did a wonderful job! (And don't forget to check out her blogs, especially her book reviews at A Cozy Nook to Read In.)

Second, if the Fantasia films are the strangest animated movies I've reviewed, than this is probably the strangest live-action movie. I'm doing this one in honor of Peter Tork, the bassist and pianist for the Monkees, who also passed away on February 21st. I've been a big fan of the Monkees' music and TV show since I was a child, but I didn't know this movie even existed until the mid-2000's. If Finian's Rainbow was too old-fashioned for 1968, this one might have been a bit too up-to-date, with its supremely weird stream-of-consciousness sequences and cynical relationship with the media and how it manipulates its audience. It's not a typical musical...but it's not a typical anything else, either. What is it, exactly? Let's head to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on a bridge in Southern California and see if we can figure it out...

The Story: We begin on a real bridge in Long Beach, California. The Monkees dash through a ribbon-cutting ceremony before leaping off the bridge and into the water. After a series of trippy color filter effects, we see them having a kissing contest with an unimpressed young woman. From then on, the film becomes a series of strange sequences, going from a quick bit of Vietnam War footage to a real-life Monkees concert, then to the boys in the actual war. They're almost torn apart before ending up in a vacuum cleaner, then a black box, then a man's hair. They each have their own way of getting out of the "box," from gentle hippie Peter repeating the words of a swami to hot-tempered Brit dancer Davy literally fighting his way out...but in the end, they just find themselves back in the box again.

The Song and Dance: Well, you definitely can't say this one isn't unique. In fact, it's really hard to describe. The Monkees and producer/director Rafelson had gotten tired of making their TV show and wanted to do something that dealt more with all the trouble the group had getting respect from the music community and not playing their own instruments. There's some really interesting commentary here on people's relationship with the media and how it manipulates viewers into seeing what it wants people to see...ideas that may have been way ahead of their time.

Of the non-musical vignettes, my favorite sequences include Micky blowing up a Coke vending machine in the middle of the desert (the satisfied look on his face when he does it is classic), Peter and Davy in the bathroom after Davy's encounter with the eye, Peter finally getting the guys to pay attention to him in the box (something he had a hard enough time doing in the show, let alone here), and most of the finale, from Davy breaking out to them being chased again.

Favorite Number: "Circle Sky," performed at a real-life concert the guys did in Utah, gives you the idea of just how crazy their shows could get (and is one of Mike Nesmith's better songs). Davy dances with choreographer and singer Toni Basil (best known for the 80's hit "Hey Mickey") in Harry Nillson's "Daddy's Song," which has a lot of fun with the camera and negative and positive stock. "Can You Dig It?" is a more traditional chorus routine in a harem, while Peter's "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again" at Mike's surprise party and the dreamy "Porpoise Song" in the opening play with color filters and psychedelic imagery.

Trivia: If the movie sounds like something written by people who were stoned...well, it was. The Monkees, Rafelson, and his buddy Jack Nicholson developed the plot and the general idea while they were gone on marijuana one weekend in Ojai, California.

It wound up being one of the biggest flops of 1968, not getting close to making its budget back. It didn't help that Rafelson's avant-guarde posters and commercials showed nothing but a giant head repeating the film's title, and didn't even mention the Monkees. Audiences didn't know what to make of it, and critics of the day were even more confused.

In addition to Nicholson (who appears briefly after Peter hits a waitress), cameos include Frank Zappa (leading a cow), Dennis Hopper, Terri Garr (who tries playing western cliches with Micky and Mike), Annette Funicello, and boxer Sonny Liston.

What I Don't Like: The music is good, but the rest...well, if you're expecting something a bit closer to the more upbeat TV show, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Like Chicago, this is very cynical and dark, a good reflection of the Monkees' mindset by the time their show ended. It's not for people who prefer a linear plot that actually makes sense, aren't fans of the Monkees or classic rock, or who are looking for a more traditional musical.

The Big Finale: Despite the G rating, this is absolutely not for kids. Start them on the TV show first. For adult fans of the Monkees or Rafelson's other work, this is worth checking out at least once, if only to see how strange a musical can get.

Home Media: Not on streaming, and the solo DVD is wildly out of print and expensive. Your best bet if you really want to see this may be to treat yourself to the Criterion Collection set that includes this and Rafelson's other movies, including the classic Easy Rider and two personal favorites, The Last Picture Show and The King of Marven Gardens.

DVD
Blu-Ray - America Lost and Found: The BBS Story