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...

| Sep 20, 2024

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.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 7, 2024

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.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 2, 2024

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

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 26, 2024

A crisp, even-handed, always-watchable Behind the Music-style tribute illustrating how the untutored sock-hop darlings atop America’s silliest genre would both rewrite the rules of popular song with transcendent masterwork Pet Sounds...

| Jun 26, 2024

If you are fan of The Beach Boys give this documentary some of your time you’ll enjoy it.

| Jun 22, 2024

There are some things they really don't deal with... But you'll have Beach Boys songs playing in your skull for the rest of the week, and there was a lot I didn't know, not being a rock 'n' roll fan. A good film, no question.

| Jun 14, 2024

The family dynamic is what I found the most interesting... All of that stuff I found to be new and utterly fascinating.

| Jun 14, 2024

Marshall does pretty well at capturing the paradox of a band whose popular image stands almost in opposition to their greatest musical achievements.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 13, 2024

It brings you (almost) endless summer.

| Original Score: 3 1/2 stars | Jun 7, 2024

More whitewash than surf’s up, but as a document of the creative process, this music biopic is illuminating.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 6, 2024

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.

| Jun 5, 2024

A documentary that’s more of a celebration rather than an examination of the band that personified the California dream, but it’s well done for what it is: a heartfelt tribute to one of the most beloved and iconic pop music bands in history.

| Jun 4, 2024

The Beach Boys is a journey through the ups and downs of the most emblematic vocal pop group in the United States, “America's band”, and about their complications, which were many, and not all of them are told in detail. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 3, 2024

It is, in short, a didactic work, that's neat, complacent, and in some moments funny or emotional, and only serves as a general regard... [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 3, 2024

Yes, it’s very by-the-numbers, but it’s still interesting to see how a band can build and rebuild its identity.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 30, 2024

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.

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 29, 2024

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”.

| May 29, 2024

“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.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 29, 2024

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.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 28, 2024