YMMV / Head

• Awesome Music: Controversial as the film may be, its soundtrack is pretty well-liked.
• Common Knowledge:
  • It didn't only gross $16,111 at the box office (that was a weekend take from its New York run that got quoted in a studio ad).^note It only played briefly in a few cities then went on the Drive-In Theater circuit, so its total box office was still probably only in the five-figure range.
  • The football helmet Peter wears in the war scene isn't the same one Jack Nicholson wore in Easy Rider. They're both gold-colored, but Head 's helmet was modern and had a facemask, while Easy Rider 's was an old-fashioned maskless one.
  • The "From the guys who gave you Head" story has never been confirmed.
• Cult Classic: Earned a following among Monkees fans and lovers of oddball films.
• Fashion-Victim Villain: Lord High 'n' Low wears a buckled hat and black cape in his first appearance, and a fur vest later on. Also, Inspector Shrink wearing an apron under his suit jacket.
• One-Scene Wonder: Frank Zappa, dragging a cow and talking about the messages in the Monkees' music.
• Protection from Editors: Why would Columbia Pictures allow such a bizarre film to be made under their watch? Well, the company's president at the time was Abe Schneider, the father of Bert Schneider, who co-created The Monkees. Coupled with a production that strictly adhered to staying on budget and schedule, Schneider and Bob Rafelson basically had carte blanche to make whatever film they wanted.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • Future dancer and choreography legend (and One-Hit Wonder with "Mickey") Toni Basil is the woman Davy dances with during "Daddy's Song". Also a Descended Creator case, since she was the film's choreographer.
  • Jack Nicholson has a very brief cameo As Himself, a year before his Star-Making Role in Easy Rider.
• Values Resonance:
  • Inspector Shrink's pronouncements about leisure in the future very accurately predicted the rise of modern cyberculture (memes, social media, gaming, etc.):
    Inspector Shrink: A new world, whose only preoccupation will be how to amuse itself. The tragedy of your times, my young friends, is that you may get exactly what you want.
  • The film's commentary on TV and shallow entertainment has aged surprisingly well.
• Vindicated by History: Although the film was a commercial flop and was regarded at the time as too "adult" for the Monkees' young audience (which ultimately destroyed their 60's careers), today many critics and movie buffs consider it as a truly expressive statement of the time period, and a sample of some of The Monkees' finest work.
• What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Invoked by Peter in the Breaking the Fourth Wall scene where he talks to Bob Rafelson after hitting the waitress.
  "Bob, it's a movie for kids - they're not gonna dig it, man..."
  • Today, it's still rated G, despite some implied drug references, cartoonish mayhem, Lord High 'n' Low's declaration that "the whole phallic thing is happening!" and the "Can You Dig It?" Sultry Belly Dancers.

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