Doc 'The Beach Boys' is an endless summer — and it ends the group's story far too soon

There is a moment in The Beach Boysthe new documentary about the California pop pioneers now streaming on Disney+, in which rock historian and USC professor Josh Kun asks a question that has haunted the band throughout its career: “Who are we as artists? »

In the beginning, the original Beach Boys—brothers Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine—were a vocal group that peddled a fantasy of Southern California culture where the sun always shone, the girls all wore bikinis and all waxed their boards. (Unfortunately, only Dennis surfed.) Later, under Brian's supposed pop genius, they were studio wizards, releasing instrumental albums such as Pet sounds and complex compositions like “Good Vibrations”, to challenge and inspire the Beatles. By 1980, they had developed into a full-fledged rock band, commanding crowds in stadiums across the US and on the National Mall in Washington, DC

Of all those eras, the one that would probably surprise casual fans—those who know the Beach Boys for the soft rock of “Kokomo” or the old-timers of the Love tour act—is that of their rock star days. Listen to their 1980 live set at Knebworth in the UK to get an idea of ​​the band's grandeur, with Dennis' thunderous drumming adding muscular thrust and even an element of danger to once harmless singalongs like 'California Girls'. Alas, The Beach Boys wraps up before that period really begins, opting instead to tell the band's '60s origin story.

To filmmakers Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny's credit, they get it just right, accurately documenting every personnel change in the Beach Boys and sharing the reason behind it. For example, Dave Marks replaced Jardine in 1962 because the latter wanted to finish school, while Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar were recruited a decade later to help the Beach Men consciously mature their sound. “There was no thought process guiding the team at all,” Love says at one point in an interview.

All of the surviving band members appear in fresh seats, and there's a touching climax that we won't spoil here. But The Beach Boys it's mostly a nostalgia trip, supported by archival interviews with the Wilsons, as well as some rare footage and family photos that will grab the attention of die-hards who thought they'd seen it all.

With the doc ending in 1980, it doesn't get involved in the tragedy of Dennis' drowning in 1983 or Carl's death from cancer in 1998. Any overt drama comes from the oft-told stories of Dennis' encounter with Charles Manson and his mental struggles. Brian (yes, he did lie in bed like the Barenaked Ladies song says).

More subtle but no less apparent tension arrives in the interviews with Love and Johnston, who continue to tour as the Beach Boys to this day. Love, rightly, remains bitter that she was not given songwriting credit by the Wilsons' domineering father, Murry Wilson, whose sale of the group's catalog drove Brian to the brink. Johnston, meanwhile, chafes at the band's accolades that are constantly attributed to Brian's innate production ability. “Brian was lucky to have our voices to sing his dreams,” she says.

At the end, The Beach Boys it's part exploration of a family dynamic and an over-the-top look at one of America's most important bands, with a soundtrack that's undeniably great (a collection of songs released alongside the film is a must-listen). Overall, the docs have a chance to recreate what Endless summer, the ubiquitous collection of the group's greatest hits, 1974 and beyond: Introducing the music of the Beach Boys to a new generation of fans. Not a bad result.