The Beach Boys, el documental

A recent Disney + documentary on arguably the greatest American rock 'n' roll band we ever produced. Culling interviews from the surviving members (since brothers Carl & Dennis Wilson have passed & any interviews w/Brian are archival since he's gotten a recent mental decline diagnosis) gives us the soup to nuts of the band w/the usual trajectory of them being the preeminent surf band until Brian's intense studio time (prompted by his distaste & mental unbeing for the road) took him into infinitely more experimental & interesting places even though their father wanted none of that. Tracing a good chunk of the later half of the doc on the revolutionary Pet Sounds recording pretty much shows why that record is what it is & why the world loves it so. Some time director Frank Marshall (Congo/Alive) does the material well but being there are so many docs made on the band (at one point I think he clipped a scene of Brian Wilson being interviewed in bed from one made in the 70's or 80's which I remember seeing when I was young) especially a recent one about the Pet Sounds follow-up Smile which Brian & Van Dyke Park reunited to finish & later perform on stage, this film feels fresh for the uninitiated but for those in on the know, not so much.

Because The Beach Boys are such a long-tenured musical institution and feature the requisite history (good and bad) to go along with that longevity, one could do a 5-part doc and probably still leave some topics on the cutting room floor. What this Disney+ doc accomplishes in just under two hours, however, is an excellent summation of the group that primarily focuses on the family aspect and the timelessness of the music they created. Plus, it is a positive-focused doc--albeit one that doesn't completely shy away from some of the more controversial material.

In terms of general chronology, "The Beach Boys" focuses on the group's creation through roughly the late-1970s--plus a sort of "where are they now" coda that is extremely moving. As mentioned, the material largely revolves around two themes:

-Family: The Beach Boys are extremely unique in that they were mainly populated by three brothers (Brian, Carl, & Dennis Wilson), a cousin (Mike Love), and a close friend (Al Jardine). Very few other music groups can boast such a tight-knit family bond--highly credited with keeping the ship afloat during the rough patches.

-Music: The group created harmonies that have proved to be timeless as new generations keep discovering them. While Brian may have been the composing genius behind the scenes and Mike the perfect "front man", this doc makes it clear that every Beach Boy (even the "fill-ins" along the way) was vital to the overall sound and success of the group.

Is this a positive and upbeat doc befitting of its Disney roots? Of course--and that's almost certainly the right approach to take with "America's Band"! But director Frank Marshall also doesn't completely shy away from the more sensitive topics: the influence of Murry Wilson, Brian's turbulent mid-70s period, and Mike's legal suit for songwriting credit among them. But such material simply is not dwelled upon.

All things considered, "The Beach Boys" seems like the perfect doc for its length, subject, and audience. Deeper-dives can easily be done via large tomes or specific docs/movies on other Beach Boys topics--but this doc is an excellent summation of why their music is so magical and where it all came from.

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Knowing a fair amount about the ups and downs throughout The Beach Boys' history, I kept waiting for things to turn dark. I was pleasantly surprised however, that the documentary prioritised the band's music and the impact it has had and continues to have on the world. Most people who are familiar with The Beach Boys are likely aware of Eugene Landy and the premature deaths of Dennis and Carl and so I found it refreshing that the film focuses mainly on the good. It reminded me of the recent 'Wham!' Documentary in that sense, taking you through the different musical phases of the band and ending on a positive note long before outstaying it's welcome. The film doesn't shy away from drama completely. Tensions between band members and the negative impact Murray had on the group are covered. Everyone gets a fair shake however, including Murray, whom without The Beach Boys may not have had the initial success they did. The documentary also reinforces the often overlooked fact that each member was integral to the band's sound without taking anything away from Brian's brilliance as a visionary. A moving tribute to one of the greatest bands in pop music history. I recommend this to any music fan and those in need of something positive (aren't we all?).

When you consider the Beatles got six hours out of their group life-span in their "Anthology" TV series of the mid 90's and they weren't in existence above ten years, it seems a bit strange to have the plus 60 years working career of the Beach Boys condensed to under two hours.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this surf through their career, although it effectively ends at 1974 when the release of their oldies hits collection "Endless Summer" put them back at the top of the US charts after being in the wilderness for so long. I totally get that subsequent hits like the awful "Lady Lynda" and "Kokomo" don't begin to compare with anything on "Endless Summer" but to just write off the last 50 years or so, ignoring one or two decent records like "The Beach Boys Love You", "15 Big Ones" or they are more recent reunion album, seems to me to do them something of a disservice. There's also no mention of Brian's return to recording which included at least one fine album "Love and Mercy" and his own imagining of the "Smile" album or about Dennis Wilson's lovely solo album "Pacific Ocean Blue". I also felt the omission of mentioning the passing of Dennis and Carl, apart from a subtitle commemoration over the end credits.

Anyway, let's quit with the moaning and hit the beach, because unquestionably some of the best pop music ever made came from the band and in particular the creative genius of Brian Wilson. Much is made of the sense of competition he felt with the Beatles but you have to remember that there were four of them with three strong writers plus George Martin as their producer, while Wilson was more or less left to do everything on his own. Throw in poor promotion on the part of their record label for their classic album "Pet Sounds", mismanagement by the Wilsons' own father which cost them millions in royalties and of course Brian's well-documented problems with drugs and you can see that the band certainly had to ride some big breakers in their time.

Inevitably much of the narrative centres around Brian but I do think that the contribution of the remaining group members was unfairly downplayed. Even after Brian effectively withdrew from the band after the "Smile" fiasco, they made some great records before big brother hooked up with them again. I didn't even hear the likes of "Do It Again" (a UK no..1), or their early 70's classic "Sail on Sailor" on the soundtrack, not do I recall hearing "Heroes and Villains", surely one of the most important songs in their library, never mind the stories about how it was recorded and "failed" on release.

All the surviving members contribute to the story and are supplemented by vintage footage of Dennis and Carl. Programmes like this always feature fan-boys and girls offering their adoration and this one's no different with Lindsey Buckingham and Ryan Tedder chorusing their approval.

It ends touchingly with the remaining members reuniting at the location over 60 years on from the cover shot of their "Surfin'" album, with Brian and Mike happily letting bygones be bygones in the wake of their rather uncivil lawsuit case.

All of the members come out of it well in their advanced ages, although for me Brian will never look fully recovered again and Mike Love acts much less like a prat than he usually does.

A fascinating family story then which however rather seems to skim the surface rather than go for the deep dive I'd much rather have seen.

I am a bigger fan of The Beach Boys, but this is incredibly light in terms of what's actually happen.

Part of me gets it because they are still real people who have to live out their lives. But their stories are so old and long forget that it shouldn't be this clean.

I knew it was trouble immediately when I saw it was produced by Disney. From there you can always tell it's going to be very clean. But too clean.

They don't get into their family drama, how the father Wilson was controlling it all and causing rifts between the members and him. Like others pointed out, no talk about Brian and the state he was in when he was younger using drugs and whatnot.

Just felt like there was more than what most wanted out of this story and the fact people are happy with the little they got is disappointing. They should want more, even if they are uncomfortable with the material, that is their story.