They are an iconic group of the 1960s. They have produced songs that will stand the test of time. Their celestial vocal harmonies are instantly recognizable. No doubt: the Beach Boys deserved a two-hour documentary about them.
The problem is that it doesn’t live up to expectations.
Despite its duration, The Beach Boys is what we call a “reheated dish”, in the sense that we don’t learn much new about the Californian quintet, who were for a time the Beatles’ only real American rival.
It tells the story of the beginnings of the three Wilson brothers, Carl, Dennis and Brian, in the family garage, the arrival of cousin Mike Love, then that of best friend Al Jardine, the first successes, the almost instantaneous fame.
PHOTO MICHAEL OCHS, GETTY IMAGES ARCHIVES
Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson in 1964
We discuss in order the emblematic songs of the group, I Get Around has Surfin’ USA Passing by Good Vibrationsand we are reminded for the hundredth time that these “beach boys” did not know how to surf, contrary to the image they put forward.
Like any self-respecting bio, we also address the darker aspects of this incarnation of the Californian dream which will turn into a nightmare: the growing influence of Father Murry Wilson on training, drug abuse, artistic tensions, bad company with the drummer Dennis Wilson and, of course, the psychological flaws of the brilliant composer Brian Wilson, who will end up losing his temper due to perfectionism, without being able to finish his famous masterpiece, the album smile.
Missed opportunity
We could say that The Beach Boys is a good introduction for new generations, who do not know the history of the million-selling band. That was probably the objective. The issues are clearly stated. And the archive images – numerous – are probably the film’s greatest strength. Despite everything, the result turns out to be disappointing.
Built in a very conventional manner, The Beach Boys is as unimaginative as its title. The film unfolds in chronological order, in a linear fashion, on the model of a banal “musicography”.
PHOTO MICHAEL OCHS, GETTY IMAGES ARCHIVES
Brian Wilson in a recording studio, 1966
The three former members of the original group (Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson) take turns talking, but it feels like listening to old, worn-out cassettes playing on repeat.
The film turns out to be even more upsetting on a historical level, since the story ends abruptly in 1974 after the release of the album Holland and the renewed interest in the group at this time. Nothing about the next 50 years. Nor on the long intoxicated drift of drummer Dennis Wilson, who died of drowning in 1983. Nor on the mental relapse of Brian Wilson, exploited for many years by his psychiatrist. Nor on his miraculous return to the stage at the end of the 1990s. Nor on the death of Carl, the youngest of the three brothers. And not much on the numerous rivalries and legal battles between the members of the group, barely touched on here.
The finale, unfortunately, does not save the film. Once everything has been said, all these beautiful people meet up for an (appearance of?) reconciliation, to toast on the beach where the photo for their first album was taken. This meeting could provide an emotional moment. But instead of lingering on the scene, the camera immediately pans away and the credits start rolling over our friends in the background.
This is called a missed opportunity. Like this film, which is not the definitive documentary on the group that we were hoping to see.
On Disney+
Documentary
The Beach Boys
Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny
With Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine
1:53 a.m.