first reaction when seeing this clip

[bossaroo]

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

[carl r]

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?

[phirnis]

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.

[Jonas]

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.

[lance]

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.

[punkinhead]

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

[Chris Brown]

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.

[Awesoman]

I don't think the movie is that bad.

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

[Jonas]

Summer Dreams had a more convincing Murry

[Aegir]

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.

[Andrew G. Doe]

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.

[wgolly]

why does vdp have a gotee?

[Mr. Wilson]

And the wrong hair color.

[Surfer Joe]

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.

[Roger Ryan]

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

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.

[Andrew G. Doe]

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.

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

[Surfer Joe]

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.

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

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

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.

[Mr. Wilson]

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

[Andrew G. Doe]

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

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.

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

[MBE]

Yeah I would think so too never seen those chips.

[Surfer Joe]

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

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!"

[Magic Transistor Radio]

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!!

[melissalynn]

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.

[Alex]

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.

[Daniel S.]

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.