Monkees (The)

Head Monkees (The)

It's a head trip, man! Director Bob Rafelson's feature film debut is based on the hit television show THE MONKEES, which Rafelson created and produced (along with Bert Schneider). Like the TV show, HEAD follows the adventures of the fictitious pop band the Monkees--four goofy, mop-topped young rockers who look suspiciously like the Beatles. Written by Rafelson and actor Jack Nicholson, the film rejects plot in favour of a psychedelic trip through a series of parodies of every major film genre, including the Western, the musical, and the war film. These stylized romps are intercut with various surreal scenes, such as the classic sequence where the Monkees are sucked up through a giant vacuum cleaner and then spewed out as bits of dandruff in Victor Mature's hair. Also thrown into the bizarre mix are clips of television commercials, classic movies, and documentary footage from Vietnam. The result is an avant-garde, kaleidoscopic collage, peppered with Monkees songs such as "Circle Sky," "Porpoise Song," and "Daddy's Song."