The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gn1ziY6G-tg


i know you're gonna hate it, but i actually used to like this part of the movie a lot

I didn't hate it when I first saw it...it seems to approximate the crazyness of the Smile period fairly well.  Obviously the portrayal of Brian is a bit extreme, and it fails to show that despite his issues, he recorded a lot of great music during that period.  The band reactions seem about right though.

The other thing that annoyed me was showing Brian singing "Let the Wind Blow" using Carl's voice from the recording.

i love hearing the piano parts of let the wind blow (did brian record this special for the film?)

also, if you see the comments below the video, i'm the JustinPlank dude.

What bothers me is the way "Let The Wind Blow" is portrayed as some sort of post-Smile concession  to make poppy, commercial boy/girl songs again.  Wild Honey is, to me, as much a part of Brian as Smile or Pet Sounds.

Fred Weller (Brian Wilson) is my soon-to-be brother in law. No sh*t.

Really?  That's cool, tell him he did a fantastic job for me!

Michael - "Sooner or later they'll learn...positivity and harmony lasts forever..."
 :lol

I dunno - watching that clip as well as the program back in the day has the same morbid fascination of a supermarket tabloid.
'Oh that's stupid. Real stupid. Oh well - I guess it won't hurt to thumb through it while I'm waiting...'

As bad a wrap as this movie has gotten (e.g. that its pro-Lovester), it looks better than the 1990 movie, and I like how they use an actual SMiLE sleeve with the Frank Holmes artwork, The acting seems little shoddy, though. No matter what, I want to see the whole thing now just out of curiosity. Maybe that new BW movie will finally do the BB story, or at least Brian's part, justice.

Man, they made SMiLE look like nothing BUT silly noises. Surf's Up? Cabin Essence? They could have showed something of worth.

Interesting that the clip is from the initial broadcast before Van Dyke Parks' name was changed to a fictional one. The only thing I like about the sequence is the fake SMiLE music (by Gary Griffin, I believe) and the fake Parksian lyric "Geronimo leaps and bounds for glory over the dustbowl" which is a perfect approximation of a SMiLE lyric (if I remember correctly, the lyric was an off-hand suggestion by Alan Boyd).

Otherwise, it's a real disappointment and fails to work as drama. Parks really comes off as an ass; Brian almost completely incompetent. That moment where Brian decides to burn the SMiLE album covers before sitting down to record an overdub on "Let The Wind Blow" is an example of how absurd the direction of this film was.

Oh, so that's how it all went down!  :-)

I think there is more truth in that movie that anyone of us would ever care to admit.... But i dont think BW was as wacked
out as portrayed..Just different or ahead of the curve.. But then again BW did dig his own grave in his backyard then claimed it was just a joke..!!.. Who really knows..??..Just the insiders.. We should just focus on the great music they made..We ALL have ghosts in the closet...

I thought this was all pro-Mike Love at first, but later in the film Mike is shown being just as crazy due to TM.

People who don't know the Beach Boys story probably wouldn't be entertained by this, and people who DO know the Beach Boys story wouldn't like it because of the inaccuracies.

Wow, it's even worse than I imagined.

Is Brian eating cheesecake in the first scene?

so of the mark..pure puke...get some truth

I actually enjoyed most of the movie, inaccuracies aside.  My biggest problem is the ridiculous portrayal of Brian from "California Girls" through "Smile".  They show him as a drugged out moron (except when he is in the studio during "Pet Sounds") during the period where he was producing some of his best music.  Yes he was certainly eccentric and having mental problems, but the film took it way too far.  He did a lot more during that period than bang out 2 chords on the piano over and over.  And the overlooking of major Smile tracks like "Surf's Up", "Heroes and Villains", "Cabinessence", etc is a glaring omission, probably the worst of the film.

The part that bugged me most of all was when Brian was basically begging Mike to help him with "Good Vibrations".  There is no way in 1966 that Brian needed anybody to tell him what the hook of his record was.  Mike came up with some great lyrics, no doubt about it, but it wasn't because Brian begged for his help.  From the accounts I've read, it was more like "if you think you can come up with better lyrics, bring them to the studio by tomorrow".  The whole thing just made Brian seem like a mentally challenged idiot who couldn't finish anything on his own anymore, which wasn't the case until much later.

Other than that though, I really did enjoy most of the rest of the movie.  The studio scenes were especially great, seeing Brian at work and Murray in there with his diatribes.  All of that felt very authentic...I liked how they pulled direct quotes from interviews and Murray's "I'm a genius too" speech (even though they spaced that out over a few different sessions, none of them actually being "Help Me Rhonda").  The acting was pretty good, and the looks were virtually dead on...at many times, I swore that was actually Mike!  It wasn't perfect, but until something better comes along, I'd say this movie is, for the most part, more than passable.

After seeing that, my first reaction is "Phew! Thank God Mike Love et al pressured that mentally handicapped person Brian into not making that acid alliteration xylophone crap and pressured him into making "Let the Wind Blow" instead."

 ::) :lol :lol

History will win out. SMiLE is awesome. "Sumahama", not so much.

I quite liked the first half of the movie.

The guy who played Murry was on an early episode of Seinfeld. Him and Kurt Fuller, who played Milt Love, were both on Ghostbusters II.
And if you ask me, I think they gave Nik Venet wayyy too big of a part. I also hate how they skipped straight from 20/20/Sunflower to Endless Summer; what, no Blondie or Ricky? Bruce was not in the group in '74, yet he's still portrayed as a member at that time. Dennis' hand injury never happened until a couple years AFTER the Manson mess. I also couldn't stand how Brian went straight to his 15 Big Ones-era look during the Sunflower-era. Brian was forced on tour with them 2 years too early in the movie...he didn't do the tracksuit thing until Landy came along in '75. No trip to Holland? No Love You? No return of Bruce for L.A. Light? Where's the death of Dennis? All the 80s and 90s BBs cheesiness? Brian's 2nd time with Landy? Landy being kicked out? Brian's comeback? The endless lawsuits? Dave coming back? Carl's death? Al being fired? The group's breakup? The Mike and Bruce Endless Summer Oldies Revue aka "The Beach Boys"? Brian's first tour with Darian, Jeff, Taylor, and Co.?

I don't think the movie is that bad. Yes, there was a deep side to Brian that fans love to romanticize, but you have to remember that Mike Love and the other Beach Boys were not really included in the creative process of SMiLE.  Brian probably hid his intellectual side from his conservative family. Remember, what might sound intellectually edgy in academic circles could easily sound ridiculous and naive to a more conservative crowd. Look at how evolution is still mocked even to this day by some conservatives.  Also, I've known people who got really into amphetamines (I have experimented as well), and if you have been up for a day or two on amphetamines and have been smoking marijuana, you are going to sound "wacked out"  to someone straight-laced, even if you still have the mental capacity to produce profound works, such as many of the SMiLE songs. It's a very queer state of mind. I think the movie provides an accurate portrayal of what Brian most likely appeared to look like to the band at the time, not necessarily what he was like on a day-to-day basis. Remember, there are a lot of people who viewed Brian almost as a sort of idiot savant, which goes in line with whole "amateur human being" bit.

Kind of silly but I agree with Chris Brown in that it really showcases the craziness from that era.

The Geronimo song is pretty good. Nice takeoff the SMiLE period although Da-Da is much better  8)

Yes...I did cringe when the SMiLE sleeves were burned  ;D

Burning a SMiLE sleeve is sacrilege!

Brian is portrayed as a total idiot.  The guy had issues with drugs and bipolar disease....he wasn't mentally retarded.  Listen to interviews and sessions through 1973....the guy was cognitively intact.

I thought Dennis and Mike came off relativel realistic.

I found it as difficult to watch now as when it was released.  Some of the musical segments were fine.

As much as people hate this movie, I still have a soft spot for it. Partly because it was how I became aware of the Beach Boys. I think it is a much better movie than Summer Dreams. I think Mike+Murry look the best and I think those two as well as Dennis are portrayed pretty well. I do have a problem with the portrayal of Brian, just like everyone else here. And of course the second part of the movie sucks.

Very good insight on Brian. He was played a lot more normal in the 1990 film.

my first reaction was, "Why'd they get Harland Williams to play Brian Wilson?"

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Harland_williams.jpg/400px-Harland_williams.jpg)

it's an entertaining film that plays like a teenage comic book. all it needs is thought bubbles! For example: Al: "This beats filling teeth!"

I agree that the portrayal of Brian dumbs him down. Is that an older voiced Brian over-dubbed for the songs?

Murray and Dennis are like I imagined them. The whole Manson scenes seem bonkers to me: apart from the background music. Was CM such a cartoon monster? And did Dennis dig anything about him apart from the lifestyle activities?

This is just as much a soap opera as the Steven Gaines book, only here it's more obvious because it's a movie. If you take it for what it is (a work of fiction, based on distorted facts and rock star legends), it's even kind of entertaining, though the portrayal of BW sure is abysmal. Just keep in mind this is not about the group, it's about the way people like to see them.

i always loved the 'oOOoOoooh' part that played before 'brian' is on the piano...its so eerie and lovely...i wish i could get a recording of just that.

Have to say, the actors that play Mike Love and Marilyn and Murray(the three "m's" I call 'em) are especially good.
I like Dennis too.
The rest are not bad, it's just good enough to be enjoyable, disagree with the characterization of Brian though I do.

What older Brian recorded for this film:
-In my Room
-I Get Around
-piano segment of He's a Doll
-shortenin' bread riff

I know they didn't have the option of pulling younger Brian's solo vocals from the old multitracks of those songs (or, in the case of "I Get Around" there was no recording of him doing the lead from back then anyways), but it was very jarring to hear older Brian's voice coming out of what was supposed to be a 21 or 22 year old Brian. 

That being said, I actually thought that, aside from the context of the movie, Brian sounded really good doing the first verse of "In My Room".  His falsetto on "tell my secrets to" was great, you could hear a bit of the young Brian seeping in there.

The movie by itself was not very good, but compared to that horrible Summer Dreams TV movie about the band, it's brilliant.   :afro

Summer Dreams had a more convincing Murry

Summer Dreams had a better Brian, Carl and Bruce, too. I think both Murrys did a good job. I also like that all the Brian singing in Summer Dreams was the actor playing Brian. It's more realistic that way.

The thing that still bugs me about this film is that they managed to get so much of the detail right (first time I saw the "I know Brian's dad" badges I fell out of my chair laughing) yet managed to screw up the storyline so badly. Then again, knowing the backstory of it all, not surprising.

why does vdp have a gotee?

And the wrong hair color.

My first reaction: motion sickness.  Boys, please put the camera back on the stand.

My second reaction: Flurpity-flurp.  More on that below.

My third reaction: agree with Ebb and Flow's comment on page one of this thread that the use of "Let The Wind Blow" as some sort of apparent contrast with the preceding SMiLE sessions is completely unclear. Don't know what the intention was, but it doesn't come across.  Nothing does.  To a fan it's just more great music from this period being alluded to, to a novice it's probably just confusing.

I know this is from the bottom of the well of obscurity, but the ridiculous Van Dyke portrayal reminded me of an episode of "Bewitched"- wish I could find a clip- in which Bernie Koppell plays a way-out hippie warlock who casts a spell and convinces everyone at Darrin's office that the new ad campaign for a carpet company should be just the words "flurpity-flurp."

If they wanted to play Van Dyke this way, and Bernie was unavailable, they could have cast Tommy Steele to do it like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6o6BHO-oJ0

It also reminded me a little of the original TV version of "Helter Skelter".  I could almost see Van Dyke leaning toward Mike and saying "Charlie is LOVE."

Has anyone brought up the third cinematic treatment of the SMiLE sessions- in "Grace Of My Heart"?

Also, Andrew- something I've always wondered, and you might know- do any of those "Brian's Dad" buttons still exist on the earth?  I'd trade my replica of Murry's glass eye for one.

Actually, the fourth (or maybe fifth if you count EDDIE & THE CRUISERS) cinematic treatment of the SMiLE sessions, WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY, may be the most accurate of all! It's been mentioned on this board before but the extended two-hour director's cut has about a ten-minute segment detailing Dewey's attempt to create the ultimate conceptual rock concerto involving a symphony orchestra, African bush musicians, sitar players and a goat among others. John C. Reilly channels Brian quite well as he runs around the studio working with each musician on his part ("I need the goat on the pre-chorus!"). At one point a disgruntled band member tells Cox he shouldn't "mess with the recipe". The sequence ends with Cox telling another band member he can just leave the sessions if he can't "learn to play the #$@%! theremin".

The scene also has the most authentic-sounding SMiLE music of any cinematic treatment since the song Cox is working on, "Black Sheep", was composed by Van Dyke Parks specifically to sound like Brian's masterpiece.

I know of one, but that was a good few years ago.

Wow- that's a huge tip for me, because I had totally missed that one.  I'll check it out.



If it survived until recently, it's got to still exist. That must be one of the all-time Beach Boys Holy Grail collectibles. Figured you'd know if anyone did. Thanks for the response.

thank you roger for the info on the COX movie..Gonna go rent it ...!!

I think the ultimate collectible would be an unopened packet of the potato chips given away with the Party album in some record stores.  ;D

Yeah I would think so too never seen those chips.

You're not going to believe me, but I've actually thought about that!  Years ago...I'd settle for a good color picture.  That's something that's almost certainly got to be "extinct", in collecting terms- zero in existence.  The packaging might exist...

Just for comparison, there are people who avidly collect cereal boxes, including from that era, and I've read an article somewhere or seen a book that indicated that a large percentage of what they seek- that elusive first Cap'n Crunch box from 1965 or whatever- isn't known to exist.  You might be talking about millions of boxes produced, none surviving...same thing goes with magazines and comic books (although those don't involve perishable food), especially those  produced before WWII paper drives- sometimes issues are deemed "extinct" until or unless one turns up.

But I digress...as usual.

Can you imagine having- and trying to maintain- the only known bag of 1965 Beach Boys Party! chips? "Please hold those carefully!  I heard a crunch!"

At 1:45 of the video I crack up every time! As inaccurate as it is, the sight of a stoned mentally handicapped person bopping a (doll?) to the music while they give him a blank stare is hillarious!!

I've always tried my best to stay away from that movie...but I figured I'd go ahead and watch it all tonight on Youtube. It's umm...interesting.

I can't stand the inaccuracies...and the glorification of the Lovester. VDP reduced to a weirdo stoner...Loren Schwartz, Mike Vosse, David Anderle, et. al. reduced to a studio musician named Tommy Schaefer and a bunch of faceless extras called the "drainers"...sudden jump from SMiLE to Let The Wind Blow...no Jack Reiley...no Blondie or Ricky...no trip to Holland...no Steve Desper...Bruce Playing with them on stage in '74...Brian with his 15 Big Ones era look in 1969...Brian being portrayed as a hapless "mentally handicapped person" (for lack of a better term).........there's so much more I could call out.

Plus, did I already mention that they guy who played Murry was on the 2nd episode of Seinfeld, "Male Un-Bonding". He played a Jerry's friend Joel Horneck, who Jerry tried to "break up with" because he couldn't stand the guy, but Jerry couldn't go through with it because Horneck started crying when Jerry tried to "break up" with him.

I can't believe the entire Smile saga was reduced to just 3 minutes of screen time. You'd think they would give it at least 20 minutes.

Oh yeah, and this is complete Mike Love propaganda. He should be ashamed of himself.

I don't think it's complete Mike Love propaganda. TM wouldn't've been portrayed so negatively.

i finally saw this movie recently. this and the Summer Dreams movie kinda get the first years right but once they it the Pet Sounds/Smile era all hell breaks loose: Pet Sounds in a sandbox, hundreds of people partying in Brians house, loops of barking dogs. 
but i do get some perverse, nerdy enjoyment from watching this very interesting time in the Beach Boys history get butchered up into a complete farce.
some things that stand out to me: i thought it was funny how "Van Dyke" is in one seen spouting that beatles, continental quote from i believe that Tower Records parking lot interview from It's O.K. and then the next scene he is in like 5 or 10 minutes later (in the Nik Venet pool scene) he picks right up where he left off with the Beach Boys, Panamerican vibe line. (thats another thing about this movie. all the dialogue is super jam packed with information and it seems like most of it was ripped verbatim from the various beach boys books that i have read.)
i got a big, stoned laugh out of the smile sessions doll scene. also when Dennis punches out that window and yells at Brian through the floor and the camera cuts to Brian on the floor of his bedroom with a weirdly comical, paranoid face. (this guy did a horrible job at portraying Brian, especially during this era on. the one from Summer Dreams is at least likable). also when Manson screams "YOU CAN'T LEAVE THE FAMILY" and Dennis runs for his life
the guy that plays Mike Love does a good job to a degree (voice, mannerisms) but is too nice and caring (the seen when he and brian are working on good vibrations and brian hugs him made me cringe a little)
overall i think the Summer Dreams movie is a lot better (the cocaine/hamburger sessions scene is great), but this one does spend more time on the smile era albeit in a completely innacurate, f***ed up way. these movies should definitely be watched with a sense of humor

Get him on here, I bet he's got some good stories to tell us. I'd be interested in the research, the directions he got, the script changes etc. He isn't connected with the Beach Boys now, so he doesn't have to pull any punches.

fodaed :lol

Say wha?

I think "exposedbrain" is amused with one of the board's imposed euphemisms for profanity.

Ah, I see now.

Just finished the entire movie...not too impressed. Better than nothing for sure, but how can they get so many things wrong?  In the case of the Beach Boys, the truth is perfectly interesting enough to make a movie based exclusively on fact without having to add in crap to make it 'entertaining'. 

I think some people are being a little unrealistic. I mean if you were to cover all eras of the Beach Boys up until say 1983, the movie would have to go for like 15 hours or something.

I agree, you can't expect every little thing to make it in (although the jump from Smile to "Let the Wind Blow" is pretty jarring).  That's why I really think the BB/Brian story would best be told in an HBO mini-series, similar to what they just did with the John Adams series. 

I have seen that one! Seinfeld is greatness. Not to mention that two episodes feature Wouldn't it Be Nice and California Girls.

Is there a source online to view the Summer Dreams movie?  I saw it when it was current, but it's been several years and I would love to view it in all of it's innacurate glory!