Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

A long and redundant love letter to 40-year-old, still-touring, arena rock band Journey, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey tells the somewhat strange tale of the group's quest to find a new lead singer. While band members searched high and low for a new vocalist to take on a world tour, Arnel Pineda was appearing in YouTube videos, performing Journey songs in the Philippines. One thing led to another and Pineda was selected to be the band's charismatic new frontman. Oddly, Pineda sounds exactly like former frontman Steve Perry, making the group—which formed in the 1970s as a jam ensemble and eventually churned out radio-friendly songs—something of its own tribute band. Filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz's documentary captures a couple of hiccups along the way for Pineda, including his overly-exuberant stage debut with Journey's veteran players, a bout of illness, and some confrontations with racism. Along the way, viewers also learn heartbreaking details about Pineda's youthful homelessness and near self-destruction. But for the most part, this is a relentlessly upbeat story that never addresses a key question: namely, why isn't the real Steve Perry on stage with his former mates? Likely to appeal to Journey fans—who are legion—this is a strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)