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“Well-chronicled and fascinating, Don’t Stop Believin’ is a cinematic journey well worth taking.”

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Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

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Inside the New Journey Documentary ‘Don’t Stop Believin': Everyman’s Journey’ With Director Ramona Diaz

The story of Journey finding their latest lead singer Arnel Pineda on YouTube is a tale that’s both well-known at this point, and hugely inspirational to others hoping that perhaps a similar type of rock star fame might someday come their way.

‘ Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey ’ is a new documentary that offers a bird’s-eye view of the Filipino-born Pineda and his eventual rise to success as the front man of one of America’s most successful rock and roll bands. The cameras were rolling as Pineda started his new life with Journey in 2008, tracking each moment as he began to win over concert audiences worldwide.

His enthusiastic passion for the legendary songs that he was singing each night, and the love that he had for a group that had inspired him so much as a vocalist -- which he was now part of -- were unmistakable.

The new film begins screening this weekend in theaters and on demand. We spoke with director Ramona S. Diaz about the experience of putting the documentary together.

Let’s start at the top. How did this project come about?

You know, I had heard of Arnel getting the gig through this email that was actually written by an immigration officer at the American Embassy in the Philippines who gave Arnel his visa to come to the U.S. That’s when it started. One thing led to another, and my manager called their manager, and there was a big back and forth of whether they had the story this year [in 2008] or was it [going to be] next year? And I said, “No, you have a story this year, because I think next year, the second year with the band, it’s a story, certainly, but it won’t be the story. I think it would be more dynamic and compelling [now].”

So they allowed me to film one day with the band, to show them and prove to them that they had the story. That’s when I met Arnel and then decided, “Wow, he’s really golden.” There’s something about Arnel that’s really compelling. So that’s when I decided that, "I’ve gotta make this film," and that I was that obsessed that, “Okay, this has got to happen.”

I filmed the band for a day as they rehearsed in Northern California, before their ‘Revelation’ tour in ‘08 and cut a 10-minute piece [from that] and sent it to management and they got back to us within 24 hours and said, “Come aboard, we’re hitting the road -- come with us!” I was like, “Great,” [because] we had no money, but I have a producer who made it happen.

You had a fairly large team of people working on this film. You mentioned the money issues -- how did it eventually come together so that you were able to do this?

It never came together. Seriously. This is an independently produced film. It would have been different if the band came to us and said, “Hey, make this fantastic film.” We were sort of going after that [which didn’t happen] and then they finally said yes, so we couldn’t say, “Oh yeah, can you pay for it?” So basically, my producer Capella [Fahoome Brogden] put it on her credit cards and then when she ran out of that, I borrowed money from my family and then we got some investors from friends and family, [who provided] small, small amounts of money.

That’s really how we’ve cobbled this whole thing [together]. And also at some point when the band then realized, “Oh okay, this might be something,” [they wanted to help out]. Because I don’t think they ever really [knew what it was going to be like], although they gave us access. They’re veteran rockers and I thought they were used to cameras backstage and on buses, but they weren’t used to it. They didn’t really understand what it meant to have us there constantly. So for a while, they didn’t really get it and now it makes sense to me. Someone explained to me that they were right at the cusp of [the arrival of] MTV, [before] MTV brought out the ubiquitous cameras backstage and stuff. So now it makes sense that they weren’t used to it.

They didn’t really get what the film would look like or how it would all come together. When they started getting an inkling [that], “Oh, this might be something,” two years into the project, by then we didn’t want to cross that line either of taking their money. Because then we were making [what becomes] a vanity project [by doing that], right? We needed to stay independent. So that’s what we’ve done this entire time.

What were the parameters that were laid down as far as what you could and couldn’t shoot and anything else like that boundary-wise?

You know, nothing really. They didn’t tell us that, “You couldn’t be here,” or “You couldn’t be there.” But the tough thing was when I requested that I film their process. I wanted to film them writing a song. They eventually gave me permission, but we were then, I think, a couple of years into the project. I just kept pushing. I said, “I’ve got to see that -- I’ve got to see how you guys do that.”

They gave me permission finally when we were in Manila, right after the concert and they wrote ‘ City of Hope ,’ which they dedicated to Arnel and the city of Manila, because they were so inspired. I said, “You’ve gotta let me film this.” By then, they knew me and they knew that I wasn’t out to get them. I think it’s just a matter of hanging out long enough that they trust you and they get used to you and [know that] you’re not [out to] get the “gotcha” moments. That wasn’t what I was after and they really fully understood that by the time that we were done.

You were following the band for two years and on paper, that looks like an extensive amount of filming. Can you talk about that part of the process?

We started in 2008, which was the summer tour and that was from June through September and even that summer, we jumped on and off. We covered the country, but we jumped on and off, because you know, we’d run out of money. So we’d jump off, make some commercials, raise some money and jump back on. So that was that whole summer, and then we followed Arnel to Manila right after the tour, because I wanted to see how he would adjust to his new life.

In 2009, we went back to Manila with the band and then after that, I actually continued filming with the guys in their homes. Which is not in the film -- I thought the film could handle that, but it couldn’t. I visited all of them in their respective homes. I wanted to see them outside of the tour. And then after that, I said, “You know, we’ve gotta keep on filming, because they’re going back into the studio.” They’re going to go back to record and I want to see that. So we did -- we waited and in 2010 that happened. So we filmed them at Fantasy [Studios] in Berkeley recording ‘ Eclipse ,’ their latest album.

Did the scope and direction of the project change at all during the course of making the film, from where you started out with outlining the project at the beginning?

Not really; you know, as a documentary filmmaker, you never know where it’s going to go. Arnel could have failed. It would still have been a film, but it would have been a very different film. I think the fact that he succeeded and [that] they gained new audiences and they gained this second life, it’s great storytelling for this Cinderella story. I thought it would be a Cinderella story, but I didn’t know if in actuality it would be that. I’d hoped for that, but you’re watching life unfold, so it’s very zen -- you just wait to see where it leads you.

It is a great story, because Journey is a band that certainly, they were already hugely popular, but it really has brought them a whole different audience in addition to their previous fan base. That’s really something after all of the years that this band has been together.

Yeah, it’s incredible, and you saw that actually happen in 2008. You saw this different audience coming on and I’m like, “Wow, this is incredible.” I think it took everyone by surprise. I think all of them took a leap of faith with Arnel, and Arnel took a leap of faith too, right? So there was this feeling of “Let’s see how it goes,” and it paid off for everyone.

The film is presented in a mixture of English and Filipino dialogue. How did that part develop?

I think that Arnel is more comfortable speaking in that manner and in the Philippines, a lot of people switch from Filipino to English. It’s just a matter of speaking. I realized that if I was going to get him to really articulate [about] say, the first time he performed in front of a crowd of 30,000 in Chile, I needed to liberate him from just speaking English and I understand the language, so that wasn’t a problem for me.

Were you a Journey fan?

Obviously, I grew up with their music, but I wasn’t a hardcore Journey fan. I mean, I’ve seen hardcore Journey fans [ laughs ]. I lived with them all throughout that summer. I thought they were a wonderful band and certainly loved their music, but I think that after this whole process, I have a newfound respect for what they’ve done. I’ve really understood what it is that they’ve done.

They created a catalog and not just one or two songs, but a catalog of music that’s timeless and works. Every night, it works. I saw it -- every night, ‘Separate Ways’ would come on and the entire [crowd of] 20,000 would [react] like it was the first time they were hearing it. And you know that they’ve heard it tens of hundreds of times. But you feel the energy, like it’s the first time. It’s amazing -- how did he do that? That’s magic. Not everyone can do that. So to me, it’s just pretty incredible what they’ve done.

As a filmmaker, had you seen the ‘ Frontiers and Beyond ’ documentary that they’d done in the ‘80s?

Yes -- I’d seen it in the process of research.

That really illustrates how that band did everything bigger than everybody else in that decade. It was shot by NFL Films and legendary NFL broadcaster John Facenda voiced it. How did that play into your psyche when you were working on this project? Did you think about that at all?

Oh, absolutely. You know, when you’re editing a film, you start out with a five-hour cut, right? So I did really want to cover the history. It was surprising to me to find out that they were the ones who started the [usage of] big monitors on stage, so that people in the nosebleeds would feel like it was still an intimate experience.

God, that’s really smart. Now of course, it’s a matter of course, right? Everyone does it. But the fact that they were the first ones, that they actually owned the company that did that, that rented it out . . . I was like, “Wow.” I wanted to at some point talk about that. It’s going to be in the DVD extras, obviously, but it just couldn’t be part of this film.The film couldn’t support it or really examine it in any kind of profound way.

But they did [pioneer that] and I had no idea. That was all new to me in that process of researching the band. It’s pretty incredible. And of course, then they got their reputation for being corporate rock, because they were so slick and got sponsors. Now everyone gets sponsors. Ross Valory actually told me a really funny story about how Mick Jagger came around and visited them in San Francisco, wanting to know how they did it and what they were doing business-wise.

There’s a moment in the film where you capture Chicago singer Jason Scheff [a replacement himself for original Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera] talking to Arnel backstage. That moment feels very spontaneous -- I don’t know how engineered that moment was or wasn’t . . .

No, it wasn’t at all!

You don’t necessarily know that is a singer from the band Chicago walking up to Arnel . . .

No, I didn’t. But someone, who I think was with Arnel, mentioned that Jason was backstage. I didn’t hear that -- we were just following Arnel. My cinematographer was on him and I said, “He’s our guy -- he’s our story -- follow him wherever,” and it just happened. That’s when the documentary is really golden, when those things happen and you don’t plan it.

You’ve acknowledged in the past your hesitation to do a project like this, because of what a bear of a task it is to clear popular music for a film. Can you talk about that part of working on this documentary?

Oh, my God. You know, I don’t know the details of it. Because you have music supervisors and it’s really all lawyers talking to lawyers. I knew it from other films, one piece of music appearing by Liza Minnelli and Donna Summer -- I knew even that piece of music was so difficult to clear. We cleared like 13 Journey songs, which is one of the most difficult catalogs to clear. But of course, they signed on to make the film, so I hate to say it was easy, but it was easier.

But it’s still very complicated, because at some point even if they want to, it’s beyond their control. It’s a whole lot of details that even I right now don’t completely understand. But I knew it would be difficult, just from making other films. Of course at the end of the day if we couldn’t clear it, it would have really been not good.

Watch the Trailer for 'Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey'

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Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

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Rent Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

An energetic but thin portrait of the venerable rock band Journey, Don't Stop Believin' gets a boost from new singer Arnel Pineda's charming personality.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

Ramona S. Diaz

Arnel Pineda

Ross Valory

Jonathan Cain

Deen Castronovo

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Journey Recount Singer’s Wild Ride in ‘Don’t Stop Believin” Doc

By Steve Appleford

Steve Appleford

It’s never been easy to replace the singer of a hugely popular rock band. After Steve Perry left Journey in 1998, the platinum-selling Bay Area act moved on with a series of vocalists to varying degrees of success, but it wasn’t until guitarist Neal Schon landed at an obscure video on YouTube late one night that he knew he’d found his man — in Manila.

See Journey and 14 Other Bands That Hired New Lead Singers

The voice singing Journey hits in the lo-fi video belonged to Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer who grew up in poverty and sang in local cover bands with no expectations of rock stardom. All Schon knew was that the guy sounded just like Perry, and he soon had Pineda on a plane to San Francisco to audition for the gig in late 2007. Months later, Pineda made his debut as the band’s new singer in front of 20,000 fans at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile. “He’s a clutch hitter, this kid,” guitarist Jonathan Cain tells Rolling Stone . “He comes through.”

The story of Pineda’s dramatic first year in the band is told in the documentary Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey , which is set to air September 30th on the PBS series Independent Lens . Directed by Ramona Diaz, the film won raves at festival screenings last year and will be released August 20th on DVD and Blu-ray.

Pineda’s first year was a grueling trial for the singer, whose dream gig came with the physical challenge of international touring and the expectations of Journey fans as he ran through an FM radio hit parade of “Faithfully,” “Any Way You Want It” and “Who’s Crying Now.” He faced moments of loneliness, stage-fright and genuine racism, but still remains with the band after six years, and will be back on the road when Journey tours next year with the Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power.

He has yet to meet Perry, but knows what he’d say if that encounter ever happened, and without a hint of sarcasm: “Can I have your autograph?”

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In Los Angeles, Pineda, Schon, Cain and bassist Ross Valory spoke with Rolling Stone about the documentary and Journey’s new era as a truly international rock act.

The lead singer position is historically a very hard spot to fill. Neal Schon: There were guys being pitched to us — people in L.A. and New York that have been doing the classic rock thing for a long time — and I really was not moved by it. I was looking for some serious talent, somebody that we could move forward with — and have serious pipes and go in new directions with us as well as cover our old stuff very well. When I found Arnel, I went, “That’s the guy.” I’d never heard any singer cover that broad of a spectrum. He’ll do Nat King Cole for you right now, and you’ll go no way. Sing for him, Arnel. . .

Arnel Pineda: [ Singing ] Unforgettable, that’s what you are . . .

It seems like a crazy idea to find your singer that way from across the world. Schon: I didn’t think it was that crazy. Everybody was concerned that he was in Manila and does he speak English? I’d go, “I just watched 40 videos and he’s singing all songs that are in English. If he doesn’t speak good English, he can always learn.”

Jonathan Cain: Ironically, the Internet proved to be a friend. When Arrival first came out [in 2001], Napster stole the album. We spent a ton of money flying to New York making this record only to have it up there for fans to get it for free, so I hated the Internet. Then it comes around to serve us well in the future. It’s quite a tool and for us it was a blessing.

What was it like for you to suddenly be immersed in Journey’s world? Pineda: It was my world being turned upside down — but in a good way, a fantastic way. I’m still in disbelief. I’m in front of thousands of people singing all these songs that I listened to when I was 18 years old. Now I’m with the big boys and it’s such a blessing. It’s one in a million.

Schon: He brings it. He sings his heart out every night, and it’s not an easy menu. Our songs are so difficult to sing. It’s going on six years now and we’ve toured a lot.

What was it like as a new performer to be faced with all the pressure that comes with playing to large audiences? Pineda: I had to give up a lot of foods that I’m accustomed to eating: dairy products, beer, wine, spicy food. And no talking. I like talking. It’s become a luxury to last even through a 10-minute talk with you. I have to go back to my room and my silence — until the next gig happens.

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Was there another downside to having this all happen at once? Pineda: I get really homesick inside. I would miss my life with my wife.

Schon: In the very beginning, we threw him in the fire, no doubt about it. I remember we’re getting ready to go on in Viña del Mar and it’s sold out and it’s live to 25 million people all over South America. Arnel is like, two seconds before we go on: “Can I go home? I don’t want to go out.” It was fear and loathing to the max, but then he went out and he went for it and the audience went nuts.

How nervous were you? Pineda: I was terrified to death. It took years, but I survived it. I’m still here.

Other bands have tried to replace a popular singer with an unknown and failed. Cain: It is rare that the audience goes with you like that.

Schon: The good news is that when he came in, it was a breath of fresh air for all of us and every scenario that went with it. All of a sudden, instead of us being a band from the U.S.A., we became a worldwide band. We’re accepted worldwide everywhere we went with him in markets we were never accepted before. There’s always going to be the naysayers who cant live with anything but exactly what it was from the beginning. You can’t please everyone.

In the film, it shows that some of the early reactions were very negative, even racist. How did you deal with that? Pineda: I just didn’t bother to get intimidated with those words. I’m not trying to compete with Mr. Perry. I’m trying to help out here. I am so blessed to be in this position, to be the one to carry the legacy.

Cain: Back in ’98, when we started with Steve Augeri [as singer 1998-2006], I was worried about him getting shot. We took a lot of flack. We used to get hate mail. Somebody got my number and would call me: “You son of a bitch!” They were reading us the riot act because how dare us be Journey without Steve Perry?

Schon: It was vicious, man.

Pineda: This is the first time I’ve said this — my wife was so freaked out with all these racist comments that she told me to bring a bulletproof vest: “You might get shot there!”

Because of your history together, you must still have business with Steve Perry. Ross Valory: Steve has been really, really cooperative. He helped produce the greatest hits video. It’s unfortunate we don’t have a physical relationship with him.

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Schon: Working on it though. I have ultimate respect and love for the guy this many years later. I’m getting older, man, and you don’t want to hang onto all the stupid things that you do in your life. You start looking back and I’m cherishing all the good times that we had — and the first time I sat in a room with him and wrote “Patiently” in 10 minutes. The door’s always been open. Arnel’s even open. If he ever wanted to come onstage with us and do a song, we’d be like, “Come on!”

What was your reaction to the documentary? Pineda: I’m so happy that it’s out there. I think it’s going to give a tremendous amount of inspiration for all of these hopeless musicians out there — especially those we will never learn about how fantastic they are. Second, it’s like I’m not supposed to be there — I look at it and it’s an ill fit. But it’s how I look and how I was born, so I’m going to live with it. It’s my journey. I’m so grateful for what’s happened, and it’s still going strong.

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Movie Reviews

'everyman's journey': don't believe everything you hear.

Scott Tobias

Arnel Pineda's journey from obscurity to international fame as the new frontman for the rock band Journey is the narrative thread that drives Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey. Cinedigm Entertainment Group hide caption

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

Directors: Ramona S. Diaz
Genre: Documentary
Running Time: 113 minutes

With: Arnel Pineda, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain

Some bands are born of passion and deep camaraderie, a collective desire to rebel against authority — or at least to look cool. Others are born because a major label threatens to drop them if they don't find a lead vocalist.

It's possible that Journey started as the former before morphing into the latter. Most people know the band as the hit-making arena rockers responsible for "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Faithfully" and other songs you danced to at your cousin's wedding. But before Steve Perry's soaring voice and lustrous hair launched them into the '80s stratosphere, Journey was a Bay Area jam band, turning out technically proficient prog rock with a jazz-fusion bent. When CBS Records demanded they change course after their first two albums flopped, they reinvented themselves as a pop act with Perry at the center.

The chart-topping Journey of the early '80s — Perry, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith — was only good for a few years, plus a reunion or two, but the nostalgia tours haven't stopped in the three decades since. Journey minus Steve Perry may sound unthinkable to some, but the core group of Schon, Cain and Valory has forged on with a succession of new lead singers and session players and a few modest-selling albums to tour behind. The question of artistic legitimacy post-Perry doesn't matter: Journey is a cash register that never stops ringing.

The thin documentary Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey tells the remarkable rags-to-riches story of the band's latest vocalist, Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer whose uncanny cover of "Faithfully," posted on YouTube , caught Schon's attention one night. After eight years with Steve Augeri as frontman — a period that ended with a throat infection and accusations that the band was piping in pre-recorded vocals — and an aborted attempt to recruit Jeremey Hunsicker, the lead singer of a Journey cover band, Schon and company were desperate for a viable frontman. In the wake of The Sopranos ' series finale, which famously (and notoriously) ended with "Don't Stop Believin' " pumping through a diner jukebox, the time was ripe for a world tour. And with Pineda, they wound up hitting the jackpot.

Journey takes a pragmatic-old-pros approach to integrating its new lead singer; though Don't Stop Believin' emphasizes Pineda's rags-to-riches story, it's clear from the film that the band's main goal is the continuity of its business and brand. Cinedigm Entertainment Group hide caption

The disparity between Journey's mercenary nature and Pineda's inspiring triumph over adversity comes through starkly in Everyman's Journey , but director Ramona S. Diaz doesn't seem conscious of it. She gets terrific footage of Pineda's rough initial studio sessions with the band, when he struggled to harness his voice, and of his first night on tour in Chile, where the adrenaline rush of performing before thousands of screaming fans had him zipping wildly around the stage. But in both cases, Journey members and management take a coolly analytical view of Pineda's flaws: His excitement is getting in the way of the pristine vocals the band (and its fans, presumably) has come to expect.

Sticking close to Pineda, Diaz hears heartbreaking stories of his broken family and deep poverty, including a period where he slept in a public park and literally sang for his supper. Had a fan not spent hours in an Internet cafe uploading grainy videos to YouTube, Pineda might still be belting out covers in the lounges of Manila, so he's understandably thunderstruck by the opportunity when Schon contacts him from out of the blue.

It's a dream come true — but it comes with a set of anxieties, too: Perry's shoes wouldn't be easy for any singer to fill, but for a poor young man from an underdeveloped country, the expectations of the band — and those of thousands of skeptical fans — are difficult to bear. Everyman's Journey glances at some of Pineda's problems on the tour, from a pesky cold to bouts of homesickness to the ugly specter of racist Journey fans, but it papers over them too quickly. Diaz insists on selling Pineda's promo-friendly myth at the expense of the richer, more complicated story of a dreamer who learns to become the durable professional his bandmates expect.

It's a cold-blooded business — and all sentiment aside, it's clear that Pineda is as replaceable as anyone.

Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey

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Currently you are able to watch "Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey" streaming on fuboTV or for free with ads on VUDU Free, Crackle, Pluto TV. It is also possible to rent "Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey" on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV online and to download it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play Movies, YouTube.

Where does Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 1:19:49 AM, 04/28/2024

Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey is 22283 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 20051 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Snapshots but less popular than Asakusa Kid.

Follows the real life rock-n-roll fairy tale story of Filipino Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from You Tube to become the front man for iconic American rock band, Journey, thereby becoming the latest performer to go from the Internet to real life celebrity. Having already overcome a life full of painful obstacles and now saddled with the immense pressures of leading a world renowned band and replacing a legendary singer, the film follows Arnel on this personal journey.

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Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

Don't stop believin': journey's neal schon on finding a fron.

Journey band member Neal Schon describes how he discovered their newest member, Arnel Pineda, on YouTube, in this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Don't Stop Believin'.

Previews + Extras

Don't Stop Believin': How a Fan Video Led to a Real Life Roc

S14 E18 - 1m 57s

Arnel Pineda tells the story of how a fan's video shot in the Philippines led to his being invited to join the band Journey, , in this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Don't Stop Believin'.

Don't Stop Believin': Journey's Arnel Pineda Recalls His Deb

S14 E18 - 2m 41s

Journey frontman, Arnel Pineda describes what his debut performance with the band was like. , in this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Don't Stop Believin'.

Don't Stop Believin' - Preview

S14 E18 - 30s

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey follows the real life rock ‘n’ roll fairy tale of Filipino Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the front man for iconic American rock band Journey.

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‘Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey’ Tells Uplifting Tale Of Journey Singer Arnel Pineda

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Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

Ever since metal gods Judas Priest plucked Ripper Owens out of a tribute band to replace original singer Rob Halford, the idea of the average Joe getting a gig with his favorite rock n’ roll band has captivated people’s imaginations. It inspired the 2001 movie Rock Star and a reality TV show of the same name, where aspiring singers auditioned for the rock bands INXS and Rock Star Supernova, a super-group made up of members of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue. Currently streaming on Netflix , the 2012 documentary Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey mines similar ground, telling the true story of how journeyman Filipino singer Arnel Pineda ended up as the frontman for classic rock band Journey.

While the music of Journey alternates between ham-fisted riff rock and power ballads —all big hooks and gushy emotional cues— Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey is sincere, compelling and heartfelt. Directed by Fillipino-American documentarian Ramona S. Díaz, the film’s unadorned style avoids predictable rock doc clichés and sympathetically presents the story of the singer and the band as they get to know each other over the course of a grueling 4 and a half-month tour. Pineda is genuinely likable, and you wish the best for him as the movie travels towards its hopefully happy ending.

The movie begins with Arnel visiting his old grammar school in the Filipino capital of Manila. The principal there has no idea who he is, and has never even heard of Journey. It’s illustrative of the wide chasm that exists between the singer and the band. As Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain says early on, “How do you take someone from a Third World country and throw him into this circus”? While Cain is legitimately concerned, his statement only further illustrates their differences. The Philippines isn’t even necessarily a Third World country (OK, it’s part of the “Developing World”).

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Don’t Stop Believin’ vacillates back and forth between Arnel’s story and that of Journey. Whatever you might think of the group —admittedly, I am not a fan— they actually have a pretty interesting history. Started in 1973 by refugees from Santana, the group originally played a jammy mix of hard rock and jazz fusion, which founding Journey guitarist Neil Schon describes as being like “The (Grateful) Dead on steroids.” Despite a strong live following, record sales were lacking, and in order to hold on to their recording contract Journey turned to a more commercial, radio-friendly sound. In late 1977, they brought in singer Steve Perry, whose soaring vocals powered a stream of classic rock radio hits that kept coming and didn’t stop until the late ’80s.

Schon discovered Arnel Pineda via YouTube clips a fan uploaded of his band covering classic rock standards, from Led Zeppelin to, well, Journey. From the outset, Schon was Arnel’s champion, repeatedly saying “That’s the guy.” Cain, who not only plays keyboards but also wrote some of Journey’s biggest hits, remained skeptical if the diminutive Filipino could fill Steve Perry’s “big shoes.” Despite a shaky audition, Arnel impressed the band once he relaxed a little, and ultimately secured the gig. Following a trial by fire first gig in front of a Chilean crowd of 18,000, and the recording of the Revelation album, the band set out on a big tour in summer 2008. The bulk of Don’t Stop Believin’ was filmed at various tour stops on the Revelation tour.

While his years of playing 3 to 5 hours a night in Manila nightclubs prepared him for the rigors of touring, joining a band with such a large legacy put huge pressures on Arnel. On top of that, the singer harbors insecurities about his height, his looks and his ethnicity. While it may seem ludicrous to a liberal “Coastal Elite” like myself, there were actually longtime Journey fans that were upset Pineda was not white. “I think he should be from here,” meaning America, says one tailgating Journey fan, probably unaware of her own bigotry. This is insignificant, however, when contrasted with the outpouring of pride and affection from the band’s Filipino-American fans, especially at the tour’s West Coast dates. At the end of a rapturous gig in the band’s hometown, Arnel yells out, “Thank you San Francisco! Thank you Pinoys!” As one fan says, “Arnel Peneda has made the world smaller.”

The reception is even greater when Arnel returns home to the Philippines at the conclusion of the tour’s first leg. “It’s like everything that happened was a dream,” he says reflecting on his, ahem, journey. The movie’s emotional payoff is Journey’s March 2009 gig in Manila, where Pineda plays to family, friends and about 30,000 other people. Now, I know I could have found out with a quick Google search as to whether or not he was still with the band (he is), but the film quite cannily keeps us guessing up until the very end about his ultimate fate with the group. That is until the very end, when Journey’s manager John Baruck confirms, “He’s a full member of Journey.” The finale of Journey playing the song “Don’t Stop Believin’” is of course totally predictable, but also totally appropriate, given Pineda’s arc. As he says earlier in the film, while discussing being on the receiving end of adulation, “I was just like them, I was just a fan.”

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter: @BHSmithNYC.

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Product Description

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey follows the real life rock 'n' roll fairy tale of Filipino Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the front man for iconic American rock band Journey. In this Cinderella story for the ages, Arnel, having overcome a lifetime's worth of hardships, must now navigate the immense pressures of replacing a legendary singer and leading a world-renowned band on their most extensive world tour in years.

Even in the age of YouTube discoveries and American Idol -fueled fame, Pineda s tale stands out. --The Los Angeles Times Audience Award Winner --Palm Springs International Film Festival 2012 Official Selection --Tribeca Film Festival; San Francisco International Film Festival; Silverdocs; Palm Springs International Film Festival

Product details

MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 26921374
Director ‏ : ‎ Ramona S Diaz, Ramona S. Diaz
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 53 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ August 20, 2013
Actors ‏ : ‎ Emily Magee, Arnel Pineda, Neal Schon, Rene Pape, Patricia Risely
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
Producers ‏ : ‎ Ramona S. Diaz, Capella Fahoome Brogden
Studio ‏ : ‎ New Video Group
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BT2E9IM
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
#1,448 in Documentary (Movies & TV)

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