Head Winds

I first saw Head in college.  I thought it was disappointing.  I've seen it several times since.  I still wouldn't call it a great--or even good--film, but it's a fascinating one.

By 1968, the Monkees felt straitjacketed by their TV show.  Head was their attempt (after the show left the air) not only to move onto the big screen, but to be considered hip.  It was directed by their producer Bob Rafelson, who also wanted to be taken seriously.  Hey, it was the late 60s--they wanted to show they were "authentic" and political, not just kiddy-fare.

So Head, while using some of the techniques developed on the TV show, is a conscious attempt to destroy the Monkees' pre-fab image.  Not a great idea, when you think of it.  Sure, they were manufactured, but they were manufactured so well.  Four charming actors who were also decent musicians, backed by a lot of other talent, especially great songwriters.

Head was written by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, with input from the boys themselves (and a lot of drugs).  It's plotless, made up of vignettes--some with fairly straight punchlines, others more surrealistic--and songs. There are also guest stars (Frank Zappa--who also appeared on the TV show--Sonny Liston, Victor Mature, Annette Funicello) used for their names, not their acting--this is the Monkees' show all the way.  The bits vary greatly in quality and coherence, but considering how poorly a lot of 60s psychedelia looks today, the film holds up pretty well.

For that matter, while the whole may not be satisfying, it's surprising how many memorable moments--some funny, some even unnerving--there are: the factory tour, the black-and-white dance, adventures in the john, stuck in a box, the studio canteen and several others.  Mixed in with these, however, is a lot of gimcrack surrealism, not to mention the all-too-predictable takes on consumer culture, Vietnam, etc.  Still, the movie generally knows how to keep things moving--it might have speeches about the nature of reality, but it also knows enough to laugh at those speeches.

The biggest problem may be the songs.  They're not up to the level the group established on TV.  While I've grown to like some of the numbers, I can't go along with fans who claim it's their best stuff, or even near it.

The film was an utter flop.  Even the album flopped (after their first five went gold--tougher to sell music when millions aren't watching you each week). I'm surprised they couldn't figure out that would happen, even in the late 60s.  It seems to be made for the arty crowd, who'd never see anything starring the Monkees.  It certainly doesn't reach out to the mainstream, and dumps on the Monkees' already-fading core audience of teenyboppers

Rafelson and Nicholson would be taken seriously soon after, with Nicholson breaking through in Easy Rider and then starring in Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces. Alas, the boys would not make the trip with them.  To this day, they're seen as a 60s nostalgia act.  But Head has become a cult item and their TV show is still fun.  There are worse ways to be remembered.