Tribeca 2012 Review: DON’T STOP BELIEVIN: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY

With a title like DON’T STOP BELIEVIN: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY, one might expect a fairly cheesy music documentary that would only appeal to fans of the band. Instead we are treated to a fairly fascinating real life fairy tale where a struggling musician from the Philippines is chosen to be the new lead singer of world famous rock group he has been a fan of since he was a kid. Arnel Pineda had dozens of videos on Youtube of himself performing cover songs, including many of Journey’s biggest hits. Guitarist Neil Schon came across these videos while in the midst of searching for a replacement for their lead singer who was forced to leave the band for medical reasons. This documentary covers everything from Arnel’s initial auditions to the conclusion of their very first tour together as the new & improved musical juggernaut that is Journey.

DON’T STOP BELIEVIN is an inspirational film detailing Arnel’s struggles both before and after joining the band, as well as the subtle changes within the band after his inclusion. One of my favorite moments in the film came when he performed his first full concert in a crowded arena in Chile. Prior to going on stage, he is a wreck asking to go home but once the lights kick on, he owns the stage. Then afterward he is told not to go so crazy on stage because Journey’s music is not meant to be performed that way. He apologizes then tells the cameras that they will get used to it. Arnel really is just a captivating and entertaining presence who is a joy to watch.

My biggest and only real criticism is that the doc does feel its running time of close to 2 hours. There are plenty of little things that could be trimmed to tighten up the pacing although I’m sure Journey fans will want to see it as is. There will probably be some sort of editing depending on the type of release this gets even if just to remove the surprising amount of f-bombs dropped throughout. It also would have been nice to get the opinions of some former band members on the new lineup although I understand how that may not have been possible in some cases. Their absence is not really noticed while watching the film and is more of a curiosity I had after the credits rolled.

You don’t need to be a Journey fan to enjoy this film although you need to at least be able to tolerate them because their music is on constant rotation throughout the film. I would consider myself only a casual listener but I will admit that since watching the film, I thought about buying their greatest hits CD. Then I found out my dad already had one so I just borrowed it from him. Now that’s a scary thought, isn’t it?

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com