In the vast history of American music, there’s been a sound that has defined each decade. And amidst the emergence of the Psychedelic sound, the evolution of Blues, and the beginnings of the British Invasion, there’s a sound—and a group in particular—whose style was not only definitive of the 1960s, but helped shape the identity of their home country in the imaginations of listeners worldwide. The Beach Boys, composed of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, are the architects of that sound. And while being one of the more well-documented bands in history, their newest Disney documentary feature, aims to be the most definitive one yet.
Following the journey of the Californian band who revolutionized American pop music from its conception to its impact on the music industry over multiple decades, directors Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny present a bevy of unseen, archival footage, and exclusive one-on-one interviews, to show exactly how the phenomenon of The Beach Boys evolved and what it took to create and maintain a success story over 60+ years.
The Beach Boys premieres May 24, 2024 exclusively on Disney+.
Official Synopsis
“The Beach Boys” is a celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come. The documentary traces the band from humble family beginnings and features never-before-seen footage and all-new interviews with The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, Bruce Johnston, plus other luminaries in the music business, including Lindsey Buckingham, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, and Don Was. Viewers will also hear from the group’s Carl and Dennis Wilson in their own words, plus view a new interview with Blondie Chaplin and hear audio from Ricky Fataar. A Kennedy/Marshall and White Horse Pictures Production, “The Beach Boys” is directed by Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny and written by Mark Monroe. The film is produced by Frank Marshall, Irving Azoff, Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Aly Parker, with Nigel Sinclair, Mark Monroe, Tony Rosenthal, Cassidy Hartmann, Glen Zipper, Thom Zimny, Beth Collins, Jimmy Edwards, Susan Genco, Marc Cimino, Jody Gerson, Bruce Resnikoff, and Ben J. Murphy serving as executive producers.
REVIEW – An Easy-to-Watch Refresher on America’s Band
The Beach Boys starts with the humble origins of the Wilson and Love families and the synergy that music created when the two collaborated from the earliest of ages, with the eldest Wilson brother, Brian, orchestrating everything from the lyrics to the harmonies that his brothers, cousins and friends would sing over their living room piano. Assuming you’ve listened to terrestrial radio, watched films and TV or bought and streamed music before, you know how essential those harmonies are to the signature The Beach Boys sound. This deep dive is made twice as fascinating by the colored segments of archival film of the boys in their youth, combined with high quality studio takes of their classic records.
For the most part, the film touches on all the most highly publicized points—Brian Wilson’s nervous breakdown on tour, the eclectic recording sessions of Pet Sounds, and the sex, drugs and Rock n’ Roll of the whole thing—but it also sprinkles in unique details for that The Beach Boys fans and music aficionados will appreciate, such as the use of the prolific recording studio session musicians “The Wrecking Crew,” as the instrumentalists for their albums when The Beach Boys were on tour without Brian Wilson, who would stay behind to work on new material.
As fun as it is to watch their ascension to glory, it’s almost doubly as fascinating to watch the chaos and dissolution of The Beach Boys; one thing the film doesn’t shy away from is the bad and the ugly of their story. Lawsuits, royalty disputes, rehab centers and marital problems plagued The Beach Boys towards the latter half of their careers, and we get to hear about those moments from the sources themselves. As much as fame brought the family band conflict at times, there was always an underlying sense of love and affection between The Beach Boys, particularly during some of the lowest moments, including the untimely death of Dennis Wilson, the band’s first and primary drummer.
While a great deal of the film might not come as a surprise to the initiated, Disney’s The Beach Boys is a wonderful way to connect the next generation to one of America’s greatest musical talents, as well as refresh the minds of familiar listeners to the vibrations that shaped our current musical landscape today. The editing is airtight, the visuals are subtle but stylish and, of course, the previously unreleased material we’re treated to makes it all the more worth viewing. With a bite-sized runtime of 1 hour and 54 minutes, the documentary is as easy a watch as their music is to listen to. And once the dust settles and the end credits roll, it’s not hard to understand why the legacy and sound of The Beach Boys has endured this long—and why it will continue to do so.
RATING – 3.5/5 Pocky
Elijah Isaiah Johnson is a writer/illustrator/animator. His most recently published works include the Amazon best-seller Nightmare Detective, Noir is the New Black, the Comixology Indie best-selling series Leaders of the Free World, The Formula and much more.