Head Review

Essentially a sort of ironic attempt by 60s pop group The Monkees to demystify their own manufactured existence, as told through comedy vignettes with heavy reference to media comidification and commercialisation at the height of the 'Global Village' era.

by Kim Newman |

Published on1st January 2000 at 9.00am

Release Date:

26 May 2011

Running Time:

86 minutes

Certificate:

Original Title:

Head

Directed by Bob Rafelson, well before Five Easy Pieces or Mountains Of The Moon, written by Jack Nicholson (!!?), and starring The Monkees, this is a colourfully incomprehensible movie designed to be viewed while you're on an acid trip or delirious from 'flu.

Plotless and demented, it is the ultimate deconstruction of The Monkees' manufactured images, with a Monty Python-type collection of sketches and skits gradually turning serious as the lovable lads get mixed up in Vietnam, play dandruff on Victor Mature's head or bang around with cultural icons like Annette Funicello and Frank Zappa.

Sadly, the "experimental" music isn't up there with the best of The Monkees' bubble-gum pop songs, but it's unmissably weird all the same.

A little bit lost on the band's teenybopper fan-ship at the time of release, and probably on most modern viewers come to that, Head at least represents a sort of self-realisation by a highly hyped and massively marketed pop product, which, though elucidates the roots of the recent revival of the practice, goes to show that nothing has really changed. Mad, but highly watchable.

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