The Beach Boys

In this watchable but routine overview of the classic California band made up mostly of relatives, the more uncomfortable-making elements about the group get addressed rather than explored.

It’s a strange lasagne of wonderful, mad musical moments and inexplicable talking heads (Janelle Monáe - why?) all deliciously poisoned by the seeping resentfulness of Wilson’s cousin Mike Love, who says it is unfair Wilson got all of the “genius label”.

“The Beach Boys” is a breezy CliffsNotes version of the band’s ups and downs and cultural relevance and should interest established fans — even if they know it all already — and younger music enthusiasts who are looking for a window in.

Yet the tone is almost relentlessly upbeat and reverential, drawing on glorious music and brilliantly curated and edited archive footage to put a positive spin on events.

Taken together, the documents have a chance of re-creating what Endless Summer, the group’s ubiquitous greatest-hits collection, did in 1974 and beyond: Introducing the music of the Beach Boys to a new generation of fans. Not a bad result.

I wondered how, exactly, the movie was going to pack the Beach Boys’ vast career into an hour and 53 minutes. But in its unabashedly conventional and fan-friendly way, it brings this off with a tasteful clarity and showmanship.

This short, sweet documentary steers mostly clear of Behind the Music-style melodrama and rock 'n' roll clichés. Instead, it focuses on the group's legacy and the undeniable, infectious good vibrations that will undoubtedly resonate for generations...


But despite the ups and downs, the music continues and it is the music that will endear us to the band for as long as we have music.

Over 60 years on from their formation, The Beach Boys continue to have a profound impact on popular music and that is more than reflected here.

The story of how the band came into being is the most fascinating aspect of the documentary.