Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Docu about iconic band has language and drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
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The Beach Boys
What's the Story?
Brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson enjoyed writing and playing music as teenagers, so they decided to form a band, THE BEACH BOYS, together with a cousin and a neighborhood friend. This was the early 1960s, and they were influenced by the kind of music popular in their day. This film details their early successes and rise to fame, as well as how that fame impacted them as individuals and as a band and a family, using archive footage and first-hand interviews with surviving founding members and others. The film describes the rationale and creative process behind many of their best-known works, as well as how the band fit into and had to evolve within the context of the 1960s.
Is It Any Good?
This is an interesting documentary seemingly made by fans (directors Marshall and Zimny) for other fans, but it isn't likely to appeal to those unfamiliar with or indifferent to the band. And for die-hard fans, The Beach Boys might come up short. Although Brian's struggles are described in detail, the film doesn't go into detail about the fate of brother/bandmate Dennis, who struggled with his own demons and drowned in 1983, and it focuses mainly on the single decade of the 1960s. It also jumps around in time for narrative flow, which might prove confusing for viewers keeping track.
Better connections could also have been made among the outside musical commentators: How do they relate and why were they selected to speak on the Beach Boys? Although the film runs a bit long, there's a lot to be learned and appreciated in the career and music of this pioneering group.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the early 1960s image of the Beach Boys became out of sync with U.S. social transformations later in the same decade. Where can you go to find out more information about the upheavals and progress of the 1960s?
A member of the band talks about how the individuals in the band "sublimated" their voices to the group harmony, so that each person was integral to the sound. What other examples of teamwork did you see in The Beach Boys?
What new information did you learn about the Beach Boys from this documentary? Were there aspects of their music or personal lives you felt were missing?
The Beach Boys and the Beatles are described as being in competition with each other, musically and in terms of popularity. Can you think of any contemporary examples of a similar rivalry in music?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 24, 2024
- Cast : Brian Wilson , Al Jardine , Mike Love
- Directors : Frank Marshall , Thom Zimny
- Studio : Disney+
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Arts ( Music and Sing-Along ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , History
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 114 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : drug material, brief strong language and smoking
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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