The recent release of Brian Wilson's long-awaited Smile album has reawakened interest in the Beach Boys, the Beatles' rivals whose infectious, sunshine-soaked melodies epitomised the carefree spirit of 60s Californian youth culture. This revealing film, featuring interviews with surviving band members Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and Al Jardine, charts their now all-too-familiar story: a meteoric rise to worldwide fame tainted by drug abuse, mental breakdown, bitter lawsuits and tragic deaths.