The Beach Boys: An American Family

California in the sixties and the Beach Boys are inseparable; as someone says in the course of this film, originally made as a miniseries, the Beach Boys are an expression of California culture. Yet only one of them, Dennis Wilson, was really a denizen of the beach (and not a serious musician), and the musical genius behind the Beach Boy's distinctive, haunting sound, his older brother Brian, had enough emotional problems to fill an analyst's notebook.

This 4 hour film, the latest of several attempts to put the Beach Boys story down on film, is an easy to watch, straightforward account of their `progress' from suburban garage jam sessions to pop stardom in the mid sixties, to decline in the late sixties and revival in the mid seventies. The later history of the group is not covered.

Three things stand out. The first is the fragile talent of Brian, who, timid and half deaf though he was, managed to inspire and lead the group during its early years both on and off the stage, and who, with Mike Love doing the lyrics, contributed some imperishable songs to the pop lexicon. The second is the father from Hell, Murry Wilson, a frustrated pop musician and control freak, who tried to dominate and exploit the boys and nearly destroyed them. The third is the price of fame. Brian, who had real talent, was exploited by others and nearly went under to drugs. Poor Dennis whose only real facility was seducing women got completely bamboozled and at one stage was dragged into Charles Manson's toxic circle. Carl Wilson was a more level-headed sort and hence his story is less dramatic, while Mike Love, the lead vocalist (a cousin) is portrayed as your usual vain, not over-bright popster who doesn't handle success very well either. As for the women in their lives, being married to a beach boy was almost as bad as being one.

This is a workmanlike account of the story and no better than it ought to be, but there must be a special mention of Kevin Dunne as the manic Murry, all enthusiasm and tunnel vision, a man totally incapable of listening to those he loved or understanding their feelings. It is a tribute to Dunn's acting that we wind up understanding the man rather than hating him. Fred Weller does a good job with Brian, and Nick Stabile is well cast as Dennis, the male bimbo with attitude. The best part about the film (and there aren't enough of them) is the songs. In the end they are what mattered, and many Beach Boys songs will linger on in the minds of those who heard them as teenagers for as long as they live – Good, Good, Good Vibrations!

The Beach Boys: An American Family (2000)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Epic telling of the rise and downfall of The Beach Boys who rose to the top of the charts before members started doing their own things including various stints with drugs. The movie follows the band as they try to come up with new songs while Brian Wilson (Frederick Weller) begins to experiment and try a different style of music. THE BEACH BOYS: AN American FAMILY clocks in just under three hours and it covers a very short period but I guess that's what is so amazing about this band. It's rather incredible to think of how many great songs they recorded in such a limited amount of time. As with most bio pics, there are certainly things changed for dramatic purposes but for the most part I think fans are going to be happy with what the producers have done here. This was originally aired over a two night period with each episode clocking in at two hours. The first portion basically covers the rise of the group and ends just as the bands are starting to face new pressures. The second portion follows with how the band members started to go their own ways, experimenting with drugs and looks closer at the abuse the band was taking from their manager Murry Wilson (Kevin Dunn). The film features some incredibly good performances including Dunn as the rather villainous father who pretty much did whatever he could to get even, in a bad way with his kids. Weller is also quite memorable as Wilson, although he unintentionally reminded me of the Jeff Daniels character from DUMB AND DUMBER during the breakdown scenes at the end. Alley Mills (Audree Wilson), Nick Stabile (Dennis Wilson) and Matt Letscher (Mike Love) are also very memorable in their parts. A major plus going for the film are all the great tunes from the band, heard in their original versions. The film does start to feel a bit long towards the end and I think the downfall of the band took a bit too much time and I think some of the material could have been trimmed down some (especially the Charles Manson stuff). Still, fans of the group should really enjoy this film.

Being an avid Brian Wilson enthusiast, I bought an emmy judge's copy of this movie from someone on Ebay, and it was a real treat, to say the least.

Of course, you may think that because I'm somewhat partial to the founding member of the beach boys, I'd like this movie whether it was a dog or not. Not true; I happen to be more into film than I am into music.

The most notable aspect of The Beach Boys: An American Family is it's quality being made for TV. I originally saw this in 2000, and I didn't expect much, but I remember being impressed even back then. The performances are top notch. The guy who played Mike Love is a dead ringer for the real life guy and SPEAKS with the exact same inflections and -isms as the REAL Mike Love from the 60s. Fred Weller did an extraordinary job playing Brian; he got the character nailed right down to the funny way the Real Brian Wilson speaks and sings out of the corner of his mouth. In terms of performances, however, Kevin Dunn (who played the Boys' abusive father, murry) stands out as easily the best. It would have been easy to make Murry over-the-top, but Kevin makes sure that the audience sees the conflict in Murry's character and that, deep down, he really does love his sons. The movie is quite long, and even so some parts did feel a little clipped, but the only person who'd notice the difference between the pace of the movie and how things occurred in real life are the beach boys/ Brian Wilson fans who already know the story by heart. This is, after all, a movie, and some events are dramatized and others downplayed to make it more "hollywood", which sounds quite evil but actually works quite nicely on-screen.

All in all, I have but two complaints. The first is the singing, and I know that I'm perhaps asking for too much, but it would've been nice to hear some actual music recreation rather than lip synching (although how could you recreate something so magical, accurately?) This problem gets exceptionally bad during certain scenes where Fred Weller "sings" and it's obviously 56-year-old Brian Wilson doing the vocals. Secondly, the movie simply ends too soon. It ceases during the mid 70s when Brian was sort of doing better, but soon after the end of the movie's timeline, he slips back even worse and almost dies. He's rescued again, however, in a highly dramatic effort by his doctor, Gene Landy, and lives to tour again. Dennis drowns, and Carl eventually succumbs to cancer. But then again, the movie is 2 hours long already. At any rate, it's a great movie to watch. Perhaps one day they'll make a sequel that highlights the latest events in the Beach Boys' tumultuous career. God only knows if that'll ever happen, but then, Wouldn't it be nice?

Before watching ANY made-for-TV movie, one must know that, on average, TV-movies have never been that great. So, now that that's out of the way, I'll get to the review.

The way Brian Wilson discovers that "Beach Boys" sound was very convincing. It didn't seem abridged, it felt real. The acting, for the most part, was top-notch. The actor who portrayed musical genius Brian Wilson, while likeable, could have used a few acting lessons. However, the part of Mike Love was dead-on.

The film is very enjoyable, and really "connects" any music listener to the Beach Boys, and especially Brian Wilson. It was only after watching this film that I truly began to realize that Wilson was a true genius, perhaps one of the best writers/musicians to come out of the 20th Century. I KNEW he was good, but it is really only now that I know just how influential he really was/is to the music industry.

Things did get corny, however, but remember -- this IS a TV movie. The first half of this miniseries is far superior to the second.

Also, I must complain about the horrible under-use of the Carl Wilson character. Carl, the Beach Boys' strong and steady voice of reason, deserved alot more than what he was given in this film. Carl would go on to lead the band in the 80s and 90s, and he was the most stable of the Wilson brothers -- don't you think his dedication warrants a little more "air time"? I do.

To focus more on the positives, however, all the actors and characters are likeable, and I found this miniseries to have some generally touching moments.

Overall, a great watch. If you appreciate good music, and if you are a fan of the Beach Boys (casual or fanatic), you should buy this TV-movie whenever it becomes available to buy on video.

I usually trash TV movies to pieces but I can't do it to this one! I am not a big Beach Boys fan and you don't have to be to like this TV movie. Kevin Dunne does such a great job of portraying the Murry Wilson character that by the end of the movie you almost feel sorry for him because he wants so desperately to be loved and respected by his sons, but he just doesn't get what a jerk he is. Also, unlike most TV movies made today, the facts are presented very accurately. In 1990, there was another TV movie about the Beach Boys called Summer Dreams and it is notable how consistent the two movies parallel each other. Unlike Summer Dreams, which focuses mainly on Dennis Wilson, this movie adds much more detail but ends with the Beach Boys mid-1970s come-back whereas Summer Dreams ends with Dennis Wilson's death in 1983. This is one TV movie I highly recommend. Great job by all!